LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – SpaceX’s first purely civilian flight crew was in Las Vegas this weekend to train for their historic start.
The Inspiration 4 crew plans to boldly go where few people have been before and become the first crew of purely private citizens to orbit the earth.
But first they have to get used to floating.
“One of the things I look forward to the most is the feeling that the lack of gravity and a little taste of it today will really help us when we go into space,” said Hayley Arceneaux, an Inspiration 4 crew member.
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To help with this, the crew enlisted the help of Zero-G, a company that specializes in weightless flights. Local pilot Dianna Klein flew the plane to help the crew prepare.
“The Inspiration 4 crew gets a little bit of what it’s going to be like for 20 seconds, a total of 15 parabolas – 20 seconds of weightlessness each time,” she said.
Klein’s flight was only part of the three months of training the Inspiration 4 crew has gone through so far. She says it is an honor to be part of this mission.
“To have that little glimpse into space that we land lovers don’t normally get to see. It was such a rewarding experience, ”said Klein.
The crew see this as a groundbreaking civil space mission that could open the door for more people to explore the cosmos like never before.
“But at some point everyone will have the opportunity to explore the stars,” said Jared Issacman, Commander of Inspiration 4.
They may see their mission as a Wright Brothers moment, not just with a desire to fly, but to fly on their own terms.
“Space will not remain the exclusive domain of a handful of countries. It will open, ”said Isaacman.
The crew will take off into space from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 15 at the earliest.
