SpaceX will be taking a Dragon Crew capsule filled with civilians into space for a multi-day adventure in near zero gravity says The Associated Press. Aboard that ship, Chris Sembroski, from Everett, WA.
The background: Gazillionaire business owner, Jared Isaacman, paid for four seats atop a Falcon rocket making it the first privately hired human trip to space for SpaceX. Isaacman is going up, and previously announced he's bringing Hayley Arceneaux, 29, a bone cancer survivor turned health care worker at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with him. She took a heavy childhood experience and turned into a win for other people around her.
The remaining two future astronauts came about thanks to a contest. Basically, donate money to St. Jude for a shot to win a seat into space. They raised over $13-million in the search. Isaacman announced the winners including Sian Proctor, a community college teacher from Arizona. The second seat would go to a winner who "declined to fly for personal reasons and offered the spot to Sembroski" a former Air Force missileman. Can you imagine?!
Raging jealous shoved aside, Sembroski is deserving of the honor (says the pouting man-child writing this). The Associate Press reports that he spent summers as a college kid working at Space Camp and continues to be a volunteer space advocate as an adult.
The mission won't head to a high orbit out beyond the International Space Station until September at the earliest where the crew of four will spend three barely imaginable days before splashing down back on Earth. What a huge honor and massive danger to put oneself into all while knowing you'd get to experience something less than 1,000 have ever experienced: space flight.