Space X First Launches Space Shuttle Over Earth’s Polar Regions with Four Private Space Passengers
Space X has made its inaugural launch over Earth’s polar regions, carrying four private space passengers on a journey that traverses both the North and South Poles. This initiative, named Fram2, spans several days and is funded by cryptocurrency magnate Wang Chun, who is accompanied by three other astronauts. The mission includes experiments such as growing mushrooms in a microgravity environment and conducting X-ray examinations within the shuttle. The film “The Martian” depicts astronauts growing potatoes on Mars for survival; if successful mushroom cultivation can sustain daily food supplies in space, the dream of human colonization of Mars, which Elon Musk envisions, could become increasingly feasible.
Elon Musk shared the Space X article on X, expressing excitement that this marks humanity’s first journey orbiting both polar regions!
On Monday evening, the entire crew boarded the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Commander Wang Chun stated before the launch, “We carry forward the pioneering spirit of early polar explorers, bringing back new data and knowledge to advance the long-term goals of space exploration.”
Wang Chun is a Maltese explorer born in China and a co-founder of cryptocurrency companies F2pool and Skitfish. He financed this flight and selected three other crew members to fly with him: Norwegian photographer Jannicke Mikkelsen as flight commander, robotics expert Rabea Rogge as mission pilot, and Eric Philips as chief medical officer. The team underwent eight months of training for this journey, which included wilderness expeditions in Alaska to simulate living in confined spaces under harsh conditions.
Fram2 Flight Mission Objectives
During the multi-day mission, the crew will explore Earth from a polar orbit and for the first time fly over the South and North Poles. The astronauts will conduct up to twenty-two studies aimed at enhancing humanity’s long-term capacity for space exploration and understanding human health in space. Throughout the Fram2 mission, the crew plans to perform the first X-ray examinations and exercise studies in space to maintain muscle and bone mass, along with growing mushrooms in a microgravity environment. After safely returning to Earth, the crew intends to exit the spacecraft without additional medical and operational assistance, aiding researchers in describing astronauts’ capabilities to perform unsupervised tasks after both brief and extended stays in space.
Important Research During the Flight
The MushVroom cultivation mission will witness the first mushrooms grown in space. Oura Rings sleep studies will further understand the quality of sleep for astronauts in orbit. Ultra-fine MRI equipment will immediately scan the astronauts’ brains upon their return to Earth, studying how microgravity affects brain structure.
Continuous glucose monitors will track glucose regulation in a microgravity environment, helping to understand how SpaceX can cater to diabetic passengers in the future. Hormona tests and applications will be used for women’s health research, investigating how reproductive hormones are affected by microgravity. Space THAL will examine blood health and anemia under microgravity conditions and the implications for future long-term missions to the Moon and Mars.
Risk Warning
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