Bone cancer survivor sets to go into space
- 26 Feb 2021
Gulf Today Report
Hayley Arceneaux, a bone cancer survivor would be going into space as a crew member on SpaceX’s Inspiration4.
Arceneaux hopes to inspire others as the first person to go into space with a prosthesis as she joins the world’s first all commercial astronaut mission to orbit Earth.
"This mission is opening up space travel to anyone and I think that in itself is going to motivate people and give them so much hope," said the vivacious 29-year-old.
Arceneaux was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer at the age of 10. She relates how she spent a difficult yet meaningful year in hospital undergoing chemotherapy, and then surgery that replaced part of her femur with a prosthesis.
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SpaceX is owned by Elon Musk, it is working towards a four-person mission in the fourth quarter of 2021. It will be launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida and captained by Jared Issacman, CEO Shift4Payments.
Contrary to the regular Space flights that go to the International Space Station, this flight will travel around the earth for several days.
Her prosthesis would normally preclude someone from passing the astronaut's rigorous medical exam, but no such requirement exists for the private flight. Arceneaux said she is not scared and has been medically cleared for the trip.
