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A12 science
Wednesday 3 February 2021

U.S. billionaire buys SpaceX flight to orbit with 3 others

By MARCIA DUNN spacecraft commander.
AP Aerospace The appeal, he said, is
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. learning all about SpaceX’s
(AP) — A U.S. billionaire Dragon and Falcon 9 rock-
who made a fortune in et. The capsules are de-
tech and fighter jets is buy- signed to fly autonomously,
ing an entire SpaceX flight but a pilot can override the
and plans to take three system in an emergency.
“everyday” people with A “space geek” since
him to circle the globe this kindergarten, Isaacman
year. dropped out of high school
Besides fulfilling his dream when he was 16, got a
of flying in space, Jared GED certificate and started
Isaacman announced a business in his parents’
Monday that he aims to basement that became
use the private trip to raise the genesis for Shift4. He
$200 million for St. Jude set a speed record flying
Children’s Research Hos- around the world in 2009
pital, half coming from his while raising money for the
own pockets. In this undated image provided St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Jared Isaacman pauses Make-A-Wish program, and
A female health care while speaking about his enthusiasm for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and his spaceflight later established Draken
worker for St. Jude already called Inspiration4, in Memphis, Tenn. International, the world’s
has been selected for the Associated Press largest private fleet of fight-
mission. Anyone donat- “I also think if we are go- deal announced for pri- tional Space Station next er jets.
ing to St. Jude in February ing to live in that world, we vate space travel — and January aboard a SpaceX Isaacman’s $100 million
will be entered into a ran- better conquer childhood it’s No. 1 on the runway for Dragon. And a Japanese commitment to St. Jude in
dom drawing for seat No. cancer along the way.” an orbital trip. businessman has a deal Memphis, Tennessee, is the
3. The fourth seat will go to He’s bought a Super Bowl “This is an important mile- with SpaceX to fly to the largest ever by a single indi-
a business owner who uses ad to publicize the mission, stone toward enabling moon. In the past, space vidual and one of the larg-
Shift4 Payments, Isaac- dubbed Inspiration4 and access to space for every- tourists had to hitch rides to est overall.
man’s credit card process- targeted for an October one,” Musk said during a the space station on Rus- “We’re pinching ourselves
ing company in Allentown, launch from Florida. The press conference Monday sian rockets. every single day,” said Rick
Pennsylvania. other passengers aboard from SpaceX headquarters Isaacman would not di- Shadyac, president of St.
“I truly want us to live in a the SpaceX Dragon cap- in Hawthorne, California. vulge how much he’s pay- Jude’s fundraising organi-
world 50 or 100 years from sule — what Isaacman While expensive, these ini- ing SpaceX, except to say zation.
now where people are calls a diverse group “from tial private flights will drive that the anticipated dona- Besides SpaceX training,
jumping in their rockets like everyday walks of life” — down costs over time, he tion to St. Jude “vastly ex- Isaacman intends to take
the Jetsons and there are will be announced next noted. ceeds the cost of the mis- his crew on a mountain ex-
families bouncing around month. SpaceX founder Last week, a Houston com- sion.” pedition to mimic his most
on the moon with their kid and chief executive Elon pany revealed the names While a former NASA astro- uncomfortable experience
in a spacesuit,” Isaacman, Musk expects the flight to of three businessmen who naut will accompany the so far — tenting on the side
who turns 38 next week, last two to four days. are paying $55 million three businessmen, Isaac- of a mountain in bitter win-
told The Associated Press. Isaacman’s trip is the latest apiece to fly to the Interna- man will serve as his own ter conditions. q
Spacewalkers complete 4 years of power upgrades for station

By MARCIA DUNN bot arm to replace the last equipped with 24 lithium-
AP Aerospace Writer pair of old-style batteries ion batteries to store power
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. with a single better-quality collected by the solar pan-
(AP) — A pair of space- one. NASA’s Mike Hopkins els. The big, boxy batteries,
walking astronauts com- and Victor Glover put the surpassing 400 pounds (180
pleted a four-year effort to finishing touches on this kilograms) each, provide
modernize the Internation- newest lithium-ion battery electricity for the orbiting
al Space Station’s power to complete a series of lab when it’s on the night
grid on Monday, installing spacewalks that began in side of Earth. They’re so
one last battery. 2017. powerful that only half as
Over the weekend, flight Although the spacewalk many are needed as the
controllers in Houston used got started late, Hopkins old nickel-hydrogen batter-
the space station’s big ro- and Glover hustled through ies they replaced.
In this image taken from NASA video, NASA astronauts Mike The upgrade took longer
Time Share Resales + Realty Hopkins, left, and Victor Glover work outside the International than expected after one
Space Station on Monday, Feb. 1, 2021.
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For more info call:
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www.halleyadventures.com last sunset before reenter- The space station is now life.q