“Meet the Astronauts of the Fram2 Mission: First to Circle Earth from Pole to Pole”
SpaceX made history by launching four astronauts into space on a first-ever human mission to orbit Earth’s polar regions. The Fram2 mission departed from the Kennedy Space Center and flew due south over Florida and Cuba, a departure from the typical east or northeast trajectory to avoid populated areas in case of emergency. The crew includes cryptocurrency entrepreneur Chun Wang, film director Jannicke Mikkelsen, electrical engineer Rabea Rogges, and polar explorer Eric Philips.
The astronauts are expected to spend three to five days in space, circling above the North and South poles before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. During their mission, they will conduct 22 experiments, including taking the first X-ray in space and growing mushrooms. The mission is named after the Fram, a ship used by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen during his historic expedition to the South Pole.
The polar orbit of the spacecraft will allow it to circle the Earth over the North Pole and Antarctica, unlike previous missions that orbited parallel to the equator. While polar orbits expose astronauts to higher levels of ionizing radiation, the short-duration flight is not expected to pose a significant risk. The crew will also conduct experiments to measure radiation exposure levels and cultivate oyster mushrooms in space.
Dr. Flávia Fayet-Moore, CEO of FOODiQ Global, explains that mushrooms are an ideal space crop due to their growth characteristics and ability to produce vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light. Oyster mushrooms were chosen for the study due to their resilience and quick maturity. Despite some astronauts’ aversion to mushrooms, the experiment aims to explore the potential of growing food in space for future exploration missions to the moon and Mars.
The Fram2 mission is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a launch window opening at 9:46 p.m. ET on Monday. If the launch is scrubbed, SpaceX has additional opportunities for launch until 2:26 a.m. ET on Tuesday. The mission marks a significant milestone in human space exploration, paving the way for future missions to explore Earth’s polar regions and beyond.