Meet the All-Civilian Crew of Inspiration4, From a St. Jude ’s Physician Assistant to a Lockheed Martin Engineer

Astronauts are accustomed to celebrity status, and Jared Isaacman, 41, is learning that truth first-hand. Isaacman is the billionaire CEO of Shift4 Payments, an online payment company, who bought all four seats aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and, come September, will command Inspiration4, the first orbital space mission crewed entirely by non-professional astronauts. But if Isaacman’s name is becoming increasingly well-known in space circles, those of the other crew members are less so. Here’s a look at who they are, how they were selected to make their improbable journey, and what they hope to accomplish while aloft. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Sian Proctor Philip Montgomery for TIMEDr. Sian Proctor of the Inspiration4 crew, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit. Two of the most memorable moments in Sian Proctor’s life involved a phone call—though the first she’d just as soon forget. That one came in 2009, when she was in contention for selection as a NASA astronaut. It was her second attempt, and while she hadn’t gotten very deep into the selection process the first time around, this time she was one of 47 candidates remaining out of 3,500 who had applied. Then came the call from NASA’s astronaut office. “It was the yes-or-no call,” Proctor says. “And for me it was a no.” Twelve years later, things were decidedly different. Like millions of other people, Proctor, 51,...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Magazine Space Special Project Source Type: news