Inspiration4, the first all civilian space mission, made its landing last Saturday evening in the Gulf Of Mexico off the coast of Florida. After its launch on Wednesday, September 15th, the crew orbited the earth for a total of three days in a 13 foot wide capsule. The crew consisted of 38 year old billionaire Jared Isaacman, 29 year old St. Jude’s employee and childhood cancer survivor Haley Arceneaux, 51 year old college professor Sian Proctor, and 42 year old Chris Sembroski, who claimed his ticket via an online raffle. The trip was personally financed by Jared Issacmen and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to raise money for childhood cancer research. Issacmen set a 200 million dollar fundraising goal for Saint Jude’s and that goal was surpassed by 10 million dollars Saturday evening after Elon Musk personally donated 50 million dollars towards the fundraising goal.

The four members spent their time orbiting the earth at a staggering 350 mile high altitude, which is higher than any human has gone in decades. During their three day trip, the four members did a variety of activities, including scientific research, in which they studied how their bodies reacted to being in space. On Friday, Issacman rang the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange, ending it for the week, while he was orbiting at an altitude of over 300 miles. Arceneaux also shared footage of her talking to St. Jude’s patients while onboard the shuttle. Besides that, little was shared of the mission, because although it was partially funded by tax dollars and was launched from NASA, the mission was still considered to be private. Their landing caused the outer side of the shuttle to reach temperatures of over 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit as it plummeted at speeds of over 15,000 miles per hour towards the earth’s surface. The landing, however, went according to plan as the shuttle landed on Saturday at 7:07 P.M. The crew was promptly picked up by helicopters and flown to safety. Inspiration4 not only raised over 200 million dollars toward childhood cancer research, but has also paved the way for other future missions. Not only was the mission the first all-civilian mission, it also crossed other milestones, including having the first black female pilot of spaceflight and the youngest American citizen to enter space.