Why did the SpaceX raffle winner really give away his gold ticket to space?
Remember when Elon Musk’s SpaceX made history in September 2021 by launching Inspiration 4, the world’s first all-civilian mission by a private spaceflight company?
For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Shift4 Payment CEO and billionaire Jared Isaacman had purchased all four seats on that three-day space flight and set aside one seat for the winner of a sweepstake he created to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
43-year-old Kyle Hippchen, a Florida-based captain for Endeavor Air, a regional carrier for Delta Air Lines bought $600 worth of entries. His buddy and former roommate at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Chris “Hanks” Sembroski, bought $50 worth of tickets. As raffles go, neither thought they’d win, and they didn’t tell each other they’d each bought tickets.
Hippchen’s name ended up being drawn at random as the big winner from the final 72,000 entries. But it was Sembrowski who ended up taking the ride into space.
How that happened has been a mystery. Until now.
Turns out, Hippchen couldn’t take his fairly won seat on the SpaceX flight because, as he told AP during a recent visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, he exceeded the weight limit for the flight by 80 pounds.
The SpaceX sweepstakes rules stated that the winner could be no taller than 6-foot-6 and could weigh no more than 250 pounds.
And when he learned he’d won the out-of-this-world prize, the 5-foot-10 Hippchen weighed 330 pounds.
“I was trying to figure out how I could drop 80 pounds in six months, which, I mean, it’s possible, but it’s not the most healthy thing in the world to do,” he told AP.
Hippchen knew SpaceX needed to start measuring the civilian astronauts for the custom-fitted flight suits and the special capsule seats. As an aerospace engineer and pilot, he knew there were safety issues connected to the weight limit SpaceX had outlined.
So, with Isaacman’s permission, Hippchen picked someone else to take his seat: fellow space geek and college buddy Chris Sembrowski.
Related: SpaceX Will Fly This Man Around the Moon in 2023
As a thank-you, the alt-astronaut took some personal items into space for Hippchen, including a great uncle’s World War I purple heart. And, just before climbing into the SpaceX Dragon capsule, Sembroski used the launch tower phone to call Hippchen and tell him “I’m forever grateful.”
Down on the ground, Hippchen had been staying out of the news, but close to the action.
In April 2021, he joined Sembroski, Isaacman, and the two other astronauts chosen for the all-civilian crew to watch SpaceX launch astronauts heading to the International Space Station. And Hippchen was there at the Kennedy Space Center, on the VIP balcony, on September 15 when the private spaceflight company’s Falcon 9 rocket blasted off, sending the first all civilian crew into space.
And while it wasn’t the same as getting to be in orbit, during Sembroski’s flight Hippchen did get to experience weightlessness on a special zero-gravity plane along with friends and family of the crew. Hippchen declared that adventure “a blast,” but told AP he still hasn’t been able to bring himself to watch the Netflix series documenting the three-day SpaceX flight crewed by four civilian astronauts.
“It hurts too much,” he told AP, “I’m insanely disappointed. But it is what it is.”
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
10X | Earn 10x points on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through the Credit One Bank travel partner site |
5X | Earn 5x points on eligible travel, dining, and gas |
1X | Earn 1x points on all other purchases |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The revamped Wander Card from Credit One Bank earns cardmembers up to 10 points per dollar spent on eligible travel purchases. With no foreign transaction fees, the card is also great for international travel. However, points earned from this card can only be used at a fixed value, so it may not be the best option for those striving to get maximum value from their rewards.Pros
- This card has no foreign transaction fees and earns up to 10 points per dollar on travel purchases through the Credit One Bank travel partner site.
Cons
- While cardholders can earn a significant amount of points on travel purchases, there isn't any way to redeem points from the Wander Card for maximum value (beyond 1 cent per point).
- Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days and redeem for a $100 statement credit, gift cards, or travel
- Earn 10x points on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through the Credit One Bank travel site
- Earn 5x points on eligible travel, dining, and gas
- Earn 1x points on all other purchases
- Redeem your reward points for statement credits, gift cards, merchandise, flights, hotels, and more
- With $0 Fraud Liability, you won’t be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Free Online Credit Score and Credit Report summary, terms apply
- If you are a Covered Borrower under the Military Lending Act, you may get a different offer
- See Rates & Fees
Rewards Rate
10X | Earn 10x points on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through the Credit One Bank travel partner site |
5X | Earn 5x points on eligible travel, dining, and gas |
1X | Earn 1x points on all other purchases |
Intro Offer
Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days and redeem for a $100 statement credit, gift cards, or travelEarn 10,000 Bonus PointsAnnual Fee
$95Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Fair/Good
Why We Chose It
The revamped Wander Card from Credit One Bank earns cardmembers up to 10 points per dollar spent on eligible travel purchases. With no foreign transaction fees, the card is also great for international travel. However, points earned from this card can only be used at a fixed value, so it may not be the best option for those striving to get maximum value from their rewards.Pros
- This card has no foreign transaction fees and earns up to 10 points per dollar on travel purchases through the Credit One Bank travel partner site.
Cons
- While cardholders can earn a significant amount of points on travel purchases, there isn't any way to redeem points from the Wander Card for maximum value (beyond 1 cent per point).
- Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first 90 days and redeem for a $100 statement credit, gift cards, or travel
- Earn 10x points on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through the Credit One Bank travel site
- Earn 5x points on eligible travel, dining, and gas
- Earn 1x points on all other purchases
- Redeem your reward points for statement credits, gift cards, merchandise, flights, hotels, and more
- With $0 Fraud Liability, you won’t be responsible for unauthorized charges
- Free Online Credit Score and Credit Report summary, terms apply
- If you are a Covered Borrower under the Military Lending Act, you may get a different offer
- See Rates & Fees