The story

On SEPT 13, French quadruple amputee, sportsman, adventurer and inspirational spokesperson Philippe CROIZON will leave the LFSF where he is meeting with Gr9-12 students to share his inspirational message.

He will be heading for Cape Canaveral, Florida where he has been invited by Elon Musk to attend the takeoff of the SpaceX Dragon capsule, part of the Inspiration4 mission, in preparation of his upcoming trip to space. LFSF will be part of this journey.

How it happened

It all started on Twitter.

"Les amis si j’atteins les 50K followers avant Noël, j’interpelle Elon MUSK pour qu’il m’envoie dans l’espace." (“Friends, if I reach 50,000 followers before Christmas, I call on Elon MUSK to send me to space”) posted Philippe CROIZON on the social media platform. 

The threshold was largely crossed a little over an hour later ! Then the CEO of Tesla responded: “Someday we’ll fly you on Starship”.

Then a private conversation started between the two men.

The next step is the take-off of Inspiration 4, the first all-civilian space mission, which he will attend from Cape Canaveral on September 15, with Frederic PATTO, LFSF teacher and TLF art director.

This summer, he spent time thinking about the conditions for a possible space trip meeting with the company Comat that designs and supplies spatial mechanisms in order to invent prostheses that would allow him to go to space.

Meet Philippe CROIZON

The 53-year-old Frenchman had his legs and arms amputated after an accident in 1994 that saw him hit by two electric shocks of 20,000 volts. Since the accident, he pushed himself to pursue new challenges, such as swimming the English Channel, achieving a scuba diving world record and completing the gruelling 8,000km Dakar Rally in an adapted buggy.

His latest project: to travel to space!

Philippe wants to be the first not disabled, but “otherwise capable” in space to show that anything is possible, even without limbs.

INSPIRATION 4 : the mission

Inspiration4 is the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit.

The mission will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, the 38-year-old founder and Chief Executive Officer of Shift4 Payments and an accomplished pilot and adventurer.

Inspiration4 will leave Earth from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A, the embarkation point for Apollo and Space Shuttle missions, and travel across a low earth orbit on a multi-day journey that will continually eclipse more than 90% of the earth’s population.

Named in recognition of the four-person crew that will raise awareness and funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, this milestone represents a new era for human spaceflight and exploration.

Mission objectives 

RAISE $200M FOR ST JUDE

The Inspiration4 mission is part of Jared’s ambitious fundraising goal to give hope to all kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Visit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to learn how you can help the Inspiration4 crew reach their $200M fundraising goal.

STUDY THE HUMAN BODY IN SPACE

During their multi-day journey in orbit, the Inspiration4 crew will conduct scientific research designed to advance human health on Earth and during future long-duration spaceflights.

READ ALSO : LFSF Speaker Series : Philippe CROIZON