SpaceX Civilian Mission: Meet the final 2 recruits selected for space program Inspiration4

SpaceX civilian mission to space is no less than a historic event that will most certainly be celebrated for years to come. Inspiration4 announced the joining of the final two members of the four-person crew on March 30. An aerospace worker and a science communicator were the ones to be selected from thousands of other applicants for the mission. If all goes well, SpaceX targets a September 15 launch from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A.

Meet the SpaceX Civilian Crew

Chris Sembroski (aerospace worker) and Sian Proctor (science communicator) alongside Hayley Acreneaux and Jared Isaacman were introduced publicly yesterday for the first time. They were described as the mission pillars and each represented qualities such as Generosity, Prosperity, Hope and Leadership, respectively. Let's get familiar with the final two recruits.

Generosity - Chris Sembroski was described as having had a natural curiosity about outer space since he was a child. Stargazing late at night on the roof of his high school and launching high-powered model rockets in college cemented this passion. He first got a glimpse into the profession when he worked as a U.S. Space Camp counsellor where he conducted simulated space shuttle missions and supported STEM-based education designed to inspire young minds to explore these areas as well.

He then served in the U.S. Air Force and was deployed in Iraq, where he was known to have maintained a fleet of Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. Following his education from the Air Force, Sembroski earned a B.S. in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Throughout these years, he even generously made donations to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which was one of the driving factors for him to have landed this opportunity.

Prosperity - Dr Sian Proctor is a 51-year old geoscientist and science communication specialist with a lifelong passion for space exploration. Her father used to work at the NASA tracking station during the Apollo missions and passed down his dedication and love for space to her. She’s an analogue astronaut (a person who conducts activities in simulated space conditions) having had completed four missions till now, including the all-female Sensoria Mars 2020 mission as well as the NASA-funded four-month Mars mission at HI-SEAS to investigate food strategies for long-duration spaceflights. 

Dr Proctor was also recently selected for the Explorer’s Club 50: Fifty People Changing the World. She has indulged in a TEDx talk called Eat Like a Martian and has even published a cookbook on meals for Mars. Among her many achievements, Dr Proctor was a finalist for the 2009 NASA Astronaut Program. She not only has a pilot license but is also SCUBA certified, claiming that she loves geoexploring our planet. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science, an M.S. in Geology, and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction: Science Education and has been a geoscience professor for over 20 years now.

Image Source: Ben Cooper TW