St. Jude Mission of a Lifetime

A life-changing view, unlike any other. Floating upside down during a chat with patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Flying through the air, chasing a piece of pizza. These are some of the moments Hayley Arceneaux will remember from the Inspiration4 mission. In this episode we’ll hear from Hayley and her mom Colleen Arceneaux about what happened during the three days in orbit, and how Inspiration4’s fundraising effort will help support the ongoing mission of St. Jude.

In this bonus episode, we’ll hear from Jake Rogal. He’s one of the producers for the TIME/Netflix docuseries “Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space.” Jake has been with Dr. Sian Proctor, Chris Sembroski, Jared Isaacman and Hayley Arceneaux throughout their months of training. He’ll talk about the technical challenges of filming in zero gravity and fighter jets, and the personal connections he’s made with the crew members. Jake was also a producer on the ESPN/Netflix docuseries “The Last Dance,” about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

A pediatric cancer survivor has never been to space. But that will change soon. Later this month, Hayley Arceneaux and her Inspiration4 crew mates will orbit the Earth for three days in the first all-civilian mission to space. When she was 10 years old, Hayley was a patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Now she works there as a physician assistant. In our second episode, we’ll hear from a member of her medical team, her mom and Hayley herself as she recounts her journey of perseverance.

In our first episode, we’ll learn how the Inspiration4 mission came to be and get to know three of the crew members: Dr. Sian Proctor, Chris Sembroski and Jared Isaacman. Proctor is an explorer and a geoscientist who’s participated in experiments that mimic habitats on other planets. Sembroski is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who works in the aerospace industry. Isaacman is the founder of Shift4 Payments and the commander of Inspiration4. He’s committed $100 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as part of the fundraising effort associated with the mission.

Every year, tens of thousands of people apply to become NASA astronauts. The vast majority aren’t accepted. But private space exploration could someday offer wider access. Soon, a childhood cancer survivor with an internal prosthetic will become the youngest American in space, as part of the first all-civilian mission. Inspiration4 will orbit Earth for three days and raise $200 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Hear the story by subscribing to St. Jude Mission of a Lifetime, wherever you get your podcasts.