'That was a heck of a ride': Inspiration4 crew returns back to Earth
LAKE MARY, Fla. - The first private, all-civilian crew to go into orbit is back home on Earth.
Just a few minutes after 7 p.m. EST on Saturday, the Inspiration4 crew splashed down into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
In a tweet, Inspiration4 Commander Jared Isaacman said, "That was a heck of a ride for us, and we're just getting started."
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted a simple "congratulations" to the crew.
During SpaceX's broadcast of the Inspiration4 crew's return to Earth, it was announced that $157 million had been raised for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a nonprofit organization dedicated to treating and finding a cure for pediatric cancers, illnesses, and diseases.
RELATED: 'Space puppy' hitches ride into orbit with Inspiration4 crew
On the crew's last morning waking up in space, Inspiration4 tweeted that the crew woke up to "Beautiful Day" by U2. Before the crew went to sleep last night, they reportedly had an opportunity to chat about their journey with lead singer Bono.
Also, while onboard, the crew took questions from patients at St. Jude's Children Hospital, had a chance to ring the bell on the New York Stock Exchange, made the first sports bet from space, and talked withed Hollywood 'Top Gun' star Tom Cruise.
The Q&A with St. Jude's Children Hospital was very special for crew member Hayley Arceneaux. She was a patient there when she battled bone cancer at 10-years-old. She now works there as a nurse.
"I was treated for bone cancer, I spent a year at St. Jude. I had some chemo, some surgery, which might sound familiar to some of you. But then, I was able to grow up and get my dream job and now I'm adding astronaut to my resume. We're so excited to tell y'all what it's like in outer space," she told the children.
WATCH: Inspiration4 crew shows St. Jude patients space experience
The Dragon capsule was launched into orbit Wednesday night atop a Falcon 9 rocket with two contest winners, a health care worker, and their rich sponsor, the most ambitious leap yet in space tourism. It was the first time a spacecraft circled Earth with an all-amateur crew and no professional astronauts.
SpaceX successfully launches all-civilian Inspiration4 mission
SpaceX's first private flight has blasted off with two contest winners, a health care worker, and their billionaire sponsor. It was the first time a rocket streaked toward orbit with an all-amateur crew, with no professional astronauts on board. SpaceX's recycled rocket soared Wednesday night from the same Kennedy Space Center pad used by the company's three previous astronaut flights for NASA.
Joining 38-year-old billionaire Jared Isaacman on the trip was Hayley Arceneaux, 29, a childhood bone cancer survivor. She became the youngest American in space and the first person in space with a prosthesis, a titanium rod in her left leg. Unlike NASA missions, the public has not been able to listen in or watch events surrounding Inspiration4 unfold in real-time.
RELATED: 'Out of this world' views for Inspiration4 private astronaut crew
Unlike NASA missions, the public has not been able to listen in or watch events surrounding Inspiration4 unfold in real-time.
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