Hayley Arceneaux, a doctor assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, will be part of the first all-civilian trip to space, SpaceX introduced at present. She will orbit Earth for as much as 5 days within the Crew Dragon capsule as half of the Inspiration4 mission. Crew members are being chosen based mostly on “mission pillars of leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity,” in response to the press release for the mission. Arceneaux, SpaceX mentioned, will symbolize hope.
Diagnosed with bone cancer at 10, she had some of the bones in her left leg changed with titanium as half of her therapy. She was handled at St. Jude, the place she now works with youngsters who’re being handled for lymphoma and leukemia. With the upcoming mission, Arceneaux will change into the primary individual with a prosthetic physique half to go to space.
The mission is slated for late 2021 and if all goes as scheduled, Arceneaux, at 29 years previous, may be the youngest American to go to space. The title of youngest individual in space would nonetheless go to Gherman Titov, a cosmonaut who was 25 when he orbited Earth.
The choice course of for crew members additionally includes a fundraising effort for St. Jude, with a sweepstakes the place folks can donate to St. Jude for probabilities to be the third member. The fourth crew member would be the winner of a contest sponsored by the billionaire Jared Isaacman, who’s funding and commanding the mission.
