CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Four space tourists have successfully returned to Earth after completing a groundbreaking, privately funded mission that took them over both the North and South Poles. Their Dragon capsule, launched by SpaceX, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, marking the end of their 3½-day polar adventure.
Bitcoin investor Chun Wang, who chartered the flight, was joined by Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar guide Eric Philips. Wang, now a citizen of Malta, organized the mission to provide a unique opportunity to experience space travel with views of the Earth’s polar regions. He declined to disclose how much he paid for the expedition.
The mission, which began on Monday night at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, made history as the first human spaceflight to orbit above both poles. The crew also made the first Pacific splashdown in 50 years, with the capsule landing off the coast of Southern California.
The crew members shared awe-inspiring views of the polar ice caps, thanks to a domed window installed in the Dragon capsule that offered 360-degree vistas. “It is so epic because it is another kind of desert, so it just goes on and on and on all the way,” said Rabea Rogge, in a video posted by Wang on social media while gazing down at the South Pole.
Filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen took full advantage of the opportunity, capturing stunning footage of their journey. Meanwhile, the crew conducted several scientific experiments, including the first-ever medical X-rays taken in space. The quartet also completed over two dozen additional experiments during the mission, which was named “Fram2” after the famous Norwegian ship used by explorers to reach the poles more than a century ago. A piece of the Fram’s original wooden deck accompanied the crew on their journey.
Though all four participants experienced space motion sickness upon reaching orbit, they reported feeling fine by the second day. According to Wang, they were eager to open the window cover over the South Pole after waking up on day two, capturing the stunning views in high detail.
The crew’s return included medical tests to observe the effects of space travel on their physical stability. Upon splashdown, all four were able to exit the capsule on their own, carrying bags of equipment as researchers studied their ability to maintain balance after returning from orbit.
SpaceX explained that their decision to switch splashdown locations to the Pacific Ocean, rather than Florida, was made with safety in mind. The company confirmed that the change ensures any remnants of the capsule’s trunk, which is jettisoned near the end of the flight, will fall into the ocean rather than land.
The last group to return from space to the Pacific was the Apollo-Soyuz crew in 1975, making this splashdown a significant milestone in the history of human spaceflight.
Edgaroo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNALhttps://tutubi.ph/author/gary-hernal/
- EDGARDO HERNALhttps://tutubi.ph/author/gary-hernal/
- EDGARDO HERNALhttps://tutubi.ph/author/gary-hernal/
- EDGARDO HERNALhttps://tutubi.ph/author/gary-hernal/
