Elon Musk commits $50M to St. Jude fundraiser after Inspiration4 crew completes space flight
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By Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
The first all-civilian crew to visit space received quite the welcome home gift shortly after successfully completing their three-day mission aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule.
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this image taken provided by SpaceX, a capsule carrying four people parachutes into the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. The all-amateur crew was the first to circle the world without a professional astronaut. (SpaceX via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this image released by Inspiration4, passengers aboard a SpaceX capsule, from left to right, Hayley Arceneaux, Jared Isaacman, Sian Proctor and Chris Sembroski pose after the capsule was recovered following its splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (John Kraus/Inspiration4 via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this image taken from video a SpaceX capsule carrying four people splashes down in the Atlantic off the Florida coast, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. The all-amateur crew was the first to circle the world without a professional astronaut. (Inspiration4 via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this image taken from SpaceX video, passengers aboard a SpaceX capsule react as the capsule parachutes into the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (SpaceX via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this image taken from video, Jared Isaacman, one of four passengers aboard the SpaceX capsule, reacts after emerging from the capsule Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, after it was recovered following its splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast. (Inspiration4 via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth This photo provided by SpaceX shows the passengers of Inspiration4 in the Dragon capsule on their first day in space. They are, from left, Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski and Sian Proctor. (SpaceX via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this image taken from video, Hayley Arceneaux, one of four passengers aboard the SpaceX capsule, reacts after emerging from the capsule Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, after it was recovered following its splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast. (Inspiration4 via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this image taken from SpaceX video a SpaceX capsule carrying four people is lifted from the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast onto a recovery vessel, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (SpaceX via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this image taken from video, Chris Sembroski, one of four passengers aboard the SpaceX capsule, reacts after emerging from the capsule Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, after it was recovered following its splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast. (Inspiration4 via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this image taken from video, Sian Proctor, one of four passengers aboard the SpaceX capsule, reacts after emerging from the capsule Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, after it was recovered following its splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast. (Inspiration4 via AP)
Photos: SpaceX Inspiration4 all-civilian crew safely returns to Earth In this combination of split screen images taken from SpaceX video, passengers aboard a SpaceX capsule, left, react as the capsule, right, parachutes into the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. The all-amateur crew was the first to circle the world without a professional astronaut. (SpaceX via AP)
“Count me in for $50m,” Musk wrote, in response to a tweet from the four-person crew that they were: “Happy. Healthy. Home.” The crew had asked the public in their tweet for help reaching their $200 million fundraising target.
SpaceX founder, CEO and chief engineer Elon Musk tweeted soon after the Inspiration4 crew splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast that he is personally gifting $50 million toward the amateur flight crew’s $200 million fundraising goal to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur and commander of the mission, paid SpaceX undisclosed millions for the trip and ponied up the first $100 million of Inspiration4′s $200 million goal.
Inspiration4 Medical Officer Hayley Arceneaux, a St. Jude physician assistant who was treated at the Memphis, Tennessee, hospital nearly two decades ago for bone cancer, praised Musk’s donation.