Sian Proctor, part of the first all-civilian crew to orbit the Earth, talks about the future of space travel
Sian Proctor’s journey to space began in 1970, when she was born to a father who worked at a NASA tracking station during the Apollo program. She grew up in a home filled with NASA memorabilia and dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot so she could later be an astronaut.
That dream was derailed a couple of times. First, when she discovered in her teens that she needed eyeglasses. So, instead of joining the Air Force, she became a geology professor. Then, in 2009, though she was a finalist in the competition, she was turned down for NASA’s astronaut training program. Finally, in September, Dr. Proctor piloted SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission as part of the first all-civilian crew to orbit the Earth.
She says she wasn’t scared as she listened to the countdown. Her fear, she says, has always been that the moment would not come, or that it would somehow slip away.The Wall Street Journal spoke to Dr. Proctor about her journey and about why she thinks solving challenges in human space travel can help humanity overcome problems here on Earth. Below are edited excerpts.Oh, my goodness, yes. I brought a lot of things. I tried to bring as many people on this journey with me as possible.
The Inspiration4 crew—from left, Chris Sembroski, Dr. Proctor, Jared Isaacman and Hayley Arceneaux—at Kennedy Space Center in Florida before the launch.
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