Inspiration4: Raffle for a trip to space (US only)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the Inspiration4 mission, a private spaceflight initiative organized by Jared Isaacman, which includes a raffle for a trip to space. Participants discuss the implications of the mission, the crew selection, and the associated charitable donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The scope includes aspects of space travel, fundraising, and personal experiences related to the mission.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note the limited eligibility for the raffle, restricted to "U.S. persons" as defined by ITAR.
  • Jared Isaacman is highlighted as the financier of the mission, with a crew that includes a hospital employee and winners from competitions.
  • One participant expresses a positive sentiment about donating to St. Jude, dismissing concerns about the safety of the flight.
  • Another participant shares their personal connection to St. Jude and humorously mentions their inability to master zero gravity toilet training.
  • The crew composition is detailed, emphasizing the unique backgrounds of the participants, including Hayley Arceneaux, who will be the youngest American in space and the first with a prosthesis.
  • There is speculation that the raffle and competition winners were likely to be individuals already interested in spaceflight, though their selection is still considered exceptional.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of enthusiasm and concern regarding the mission, with some agreeing on the positive aspects of the charitable donations while others raise safety concerns. The discussion does not reach a consensus on the implications of the flight or the motivations behind the raffle.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention potential biases in the selection of raffle winners and competition participants, suggesting a dependence on prior interest in spaceflight. There are also references to the evolving schedule of SpaceX's Crew Dragon flights, indicating uncertainty about future missions.

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TL;DR
Inspiration4 is a planned private trip to space for several days in October 2021. One of its four seats is decided by a raffle.
Limited to "U.S. persons" as defined by ITAR.

Jared Isaacman, an American businessman, bought a Crew Dragon trip to space: Inspiration4. Currently planned for October 2021 (which would make it the first private flight of Crew Dragon, and the first dedicated private flight to orbit ever), the flight is expected to last a few days. On board: Isaacman, a person from a hospital he supports, the winner of an entrepreneur competition from a platform he runs, and a random raffle winner. Donations to that hospital increase the chance to win but they are not required to participate, you just have to scroll all the way to the end on the sign-up page: https://www.inspiration4.com/

SpaceX has rapidly increased its Crew Dragon flight plan. The original plan with NASA was one flight per year for Dragon and Starliner each. After Starliner's mishap Dragon got additional flights - two crewed flights (+two uncrewed) in 2020, two more are planned for 2021 (April and September). In addition to that it now has the Inspiration4 flight, Axiom-1 to the ISS (early 2022), a Space Adventures mission (late 2021/early 2022?), and likely two or three more flights for Axiom Space in 2022-2023. All these might face delays of course. There are also three more NASA missions until 2026.
 
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Definitely felt like a win-win donating to St. Jude. Someone said to me, "but what if it explodes?!" To which I replied: WHO CARES!
 
Nice. I'm a St. Jude donor, but I'll watch from the ground. I never was able to master the zero gravity toilet training part...
 
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The hospital employee has been made public: Hayley Arceneaux, former patient herself 20 years ago. Will be the youngest American (at age 29) and the first person ever with a prosthesis to go to space.
 
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I expect that the lists of participants in the raffle and entrepreneur competitions were heavily leaning towards people interested in spaceflight, but the winners are still exceptional in that aspect.

Crew is now complete
Jared Isaacman - entrepreneur who pays for everything
Hayley Arceneaux - hospital employee
Chris Sembroski - raffle winner*, has worked with rockets and more in tons of different projects
Sian Proctor - entrepreneur competition winner, has participated in Mars mission simulations and more, was finalist in a NASA astronaut selection

*the original winner couldn't go and gave the seat to his friend, i.e. Chris Sembroski. That makes it less surprising that the winner is that closely connected to spaceflight.
 
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