Last night March 31, 2025, 9:46 PM EDT the sky over Kennedy Space Center in Florida lit up like a firework show. A Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Launch Complex 39A, hauling the Crew Dragon capsule Resilience into the dark. This wasn’t just another Starlink hop or ISS run this was Fram2, the first crewed mission to hit a polar orbit, a straight-up-and-down 90-degree path over the North and South Poles. No human’s ever flown this route, and I can imagine the crowd at the press site, jaws dropped, phones out, as the rocket punched through some dicey weather 60% favorable odds, according to the 45th Weather Squadron, with thunderstorms lurking but not enough to stop it.
The Falcon 9’s first stage, tail number B1085 six flights under its belt did its usual stunt, peeling off 2.5 minutes in and sticking a perfect landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas about 5.5 minutes later, floating out there in the Atlantic. The second stage kept pushing, dropping Resilience into orbit at 273 miles up 425 to 450 kilometers, depending on who’s rounding. By 10:47 PM, SpaceX’s Bill Gerstenmaier was on the radio, sounding like a proud dad: “Dragon, enjoy the views of the poles send us some pics!” This morning, X is flooded with shots from the crew ice caps glowing through the cupola window, the first human snaps of Earth’s poles from space. Unreal.
Who’s On Board? Meet the Polar Four
So, who’s riding this cosmic rollercoaster? Four private citizens, all space newbies no NASA vets or test pilots here, just regular folks with a wild streak. Leading the pack is Chun Wang, a Maltese crypto billionaire born in China, now crashing in Norway’s far north who’s footing the bill. He’s mission commander, a guy who’s trekked both poles on foot and now wants the orbital version. Think of him as the rich adventurer type, but with a geeky Bitcoin twist he got into crypto after reading Slashdot back in the day, and now he’s cashing out for this.
Next up’s Jannicke Mikkelsen, a Norwegian filmmaker and vehicle commander first European woman to run a spacecraft. She’s the artsy one, lugging RED 8K cameras to shoot the poles in mind-blowing detail. She’s worked with David Attenborough, filmed underwater VR stuff, and even flew a record-breaking polar circumnavigation in 2019 now she’s framing this mission like an epic movie. Then there’s Rabea Rogge, a German robotics whiz and pilot first female German astronaut working on a PhD in Norway. She’s the tech brain, hyped about Dragon’s autonomy, and hosting a ham radio contest up there called Fram2Ham. Rounding it out is Eric Philips, an Aussie polar explorer turned medical officer skied the Arctic and Antarctic, now getting a bird’s-eye view of his old stomping grounds.
These four aren’t your usual astronaut crew no military buzzcuts or decades of simulator time. They’re a ragtag bunch united by a love for Earth’s icy edges, bankrolled by Wang’s crypto stash rumors peg it at $55 million a seat, so maybe $220 million total. They trained for eight months Hawthorne, California, plus survival gigs in Alaska and now they’re up there, living the dream.
Why Polar? The Orbit Nobody’s Done
Okay, so why’s this a big deal? Most crewed missions like the ISS at 51.6 degrees or even the Soviet Vostok 6 at 65 degrees hug lower inclinations near the equator. A polar orbit’s a beast 90 degrees, straight over the poles, covering every latitude from top to bottom. It’s fuel-hungry, tricky to launch, and usually left to satellites spying on weather or mapping the planet. Humans? Never bothered until now.
Fram2’s flying south from Florida, over Miami and Cuba, a rare path that had SpaceX tweaking flight software to dodge populated spots if something went sideways. Why do it? Part thrill, part science. The crew gets views no one’s seen ice caps, auroras, maybe even STEVE (that weird light thing) and they’re hauling 22 experiments to poke at microgravity’s tricks. Think first-ever X-rays in space, growing mushrooms (oyster ones, because they’re tough little guys), and MRI scans post-flight to see how their brains held up. It’s not just a joyride it’s a lab with a killer view.
The Prep: Eight Months to Liftoff
This didn’t happen overnight. The crew’s been at it since August 2024 SpaceX dropped their names then, and training kicked off fast. Hawthorne was home base simulators, suit-ups, the works mixed with wild-card stuff like kayaking in Alaska to bond and test their grit. Jannicke found out she hates spiders there (good news: none in space), and they all got cozy with Resilience, a Crew Dragon that’s seen action on Crew-1, Inspiration4, and Polaris Dawn. By March 24, they’re in Florida, quarantined, running dress rehearsals full suits, Tesla rides to the pad, the whole show. March 30, they nail a static fire, and last night, they’re strapped in, counting down.
Weather was a nail-biter 60% go, thunderstorms prowling but SpaceX’s Kiko Dontchev called it “more challenging than a normal crew gig” on Friday’s X teleconference. No ISS docking to lean on, just a free-flyer with recovery zones to nail. They pulled it off, and now they’re circling the poles 55 times before splashing down off California in three to five days first Dragon human splashdown on the West Coast.
The Science: Mushrooms, X-Rays, and More
This crew’s not just sightseeing they’re busy. Those 22 experiments? Wild mix. The “MushVroom” gig’s growing oyster mushrooms first crop in space because they’re tough, quick, and could feed Mars crews someday. They’ve got a mini X-ray machine first ever up there snapping pics of their insides to see how microgravity messes with bones and guts. Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) bands for workouts, Oura Rings tracking sleep, a glucose monitor for diabetes research, and post-flight MRIs to peek at brain fluid shifts. Plus, stuff on women’s reproductive health two women on board makes it prime data.
Jannicke’s SolarMaX project’s a standout 2.2 million citizen scientists snapping auroras below while she films from above. It’s a data goldmine for satellite tech and atmospheric weirdness. Eric’s probably stoked to see Antarctica fully lit this time of year, and Rabea’s geeking out over Dragon’s autonomy “a crucial point for space access,” she said pre-launch. It’s science with a side of wow.
What’s It Mean?
Fram2’s a milestone SpaceX’s 17th human flight, sixth private one, and Resilience’s fourth rodeo. It’s pushing boundaries: first polar orbit, first all-rookie crew with no pilot chops, first West Coast splashdown. Blue Origin’s done suborbital hops with newbies, but orbital? This is next-level. It’s refining how SpaceX trains non-pros Chun’s no ace, just a curious rich guy and proving private cash can drive big leaps.
For space nerds, it’s a flex polar orbits unlock new angles on Earth, and these experiments could shape long-haul missions. For the crew, it’s personal Chun’s chasing childhood map dreams, Jannicke’s filming history, Rabea’s breaking German barriers, Eric’s capping decades of polar grit. X is split some call it “groundbreaking,” others “a rich guy’s stunt” but it’s hard to shrug off those pole pics.
My Take
I’m jazzed SpaceX keeps rewriting the playbook, and Fram2’s got guts and heart. Chun’s a wildcard, but his crew’s legit Jannicke’s a visionary, Rabea’s a brain, Eric’s a survivor. The science feels real, not gimmicky mushrooms and X-rays could matter down the line. Sure, it’s a flex for Elon’s empire, but it’s also four people living a dream nobody’s touched. What do you think game-changer or just a cool detour? Either way, I’m glued to those polar shots.
The Falcon 9’s first stage, tail number B1085 six flights under its belt did its usual stunt, peeling off 2.5 minutes in and sticking a perfect landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas about 5.5 minutes later, floating out there in the Atlantic. The second stage kept pushing, dropping Resilience into orbit at 273 miles up 425 to 450 kilometers, depending on who’s rounding. By 10:47 PM, SpaceX’s Bill Gerstenmaier was on the radio, sounding like a proud dad: “Dragon, enjoy the views of the poles send us some pics!” This morning, X is flooded with shots from the crew ice caps glowing through the cupola window, the first human snaps of Earth’s poles from space. Unreal.
Who’s On Board? Meet the Polar Four
So, who’s riding this cosmic rollercoaster? Four private citizens, all space newbies no NASA vets or test pilots here, just regular folks with a wild streak. Leading the pack is Chun Wang, a Maltese crypto billionaire born in China, now crashing in Norway’s far north who’s footing the bill. He’s mission commander, a guy who’s trekked both poles on foot and now wants the orbital version. Think of him as the rich adventurer type, but with a geeky Bitcoin twist he got into crypto after reading Slashdot back in the day, and now he’s cashing out for this.
Next up’s Jannicke Mikkelsen, a Norwegian filmmaker and vehicle commander first European woman to run a spacecraft. She’s the artsy one, lugging RED 8K cameras to shoot the poles in mind-blowing detail. She’s worked with David Attenborough, filmed underwater VR stuff, and even flew a record-breaking polar circumnavigation in 2019 now she’s framing this mission like an epic movie. Then there’s Rabea Rogge, a German robotics whiz and pilot first female German astronaut working on a PhD in Norway. She’s the tech brain, hyped about Dragon’s autonomy, and hosting a ham radio contest up there called Fram2Ham. Rounding it out is Eric Philips, an Aussie polar explorer turned medical officer skied the Arctic and Antarctic, now getting a bird’s-eye view of his old stomping grounds.
These four aren’t your usual astronaut crew no military buzzcuts or decades of simulator time. They’re a ragtag bunch united by a love for Earth’s icy edges, bankrolled by Wang’s crypto stash rumors peg it at $55 million a seat, so maybe $220 million total. They trained for eight months Hawthorne, California, plus survival gigs in Alaska and now they’re up there, living the dream.
Why Polar? The Orbit Nobody’s Done
Okay, so why’s this a big deal? Most crewed missions like the ISS at 51.6 degrees or even the Soviet Vostok 6 at 65 degrees hug lower inclinations near the equator. A polar orbit’s a beast 90 degrees, straight over the poles, covering every latitude from top to bottom. It’s fuel-hungry, tricky to launch, and usually left to satellites spying on weather or mapping the planet. Humans? Never bothered until now.
Fram2’s flying south from Florida, over Miami and Cuba, a rare path that had SpaceX tweaking flight software to dodge populated spots if something went sideways. Why do it? Part thrill, part science. The crew gets views no one’s seen ice caps, auroras, maybe even STEVE (that weird light thing) and they’re hauling 22 experiments to poke at microgravity’s tricks. Think first-ever X-rays in space, growing mushrooms (oyster ones, because they’re tough little guys), and MRI scans post-flight to see how their brains held up. It’s not just a joyride it’s a lab with a killer view.
The Prep: Eight Months to Liftoff
This didn’t happen overnight. The crew’s been at it since August 2024 SpaceX dropped their names then, and training kicked off fast. Hawthorne was home base simulators, suit-ups, the works mixed with wild-card stuff like kayaking in Alaska to bond and test their grit. Jannicke found out she hates spiders there (good news: none in space), and they all got cozy with Resilience, a Crew Dragon that’s seen action on Crew-1, Inspiration4, and Polaris Dawn. By March 24, they’re in Florida, quarantined, running dress rehearsals full suits, Tesla rides to the pad, the whole show. March 30, they nail a static fire, and last night, they’re strapped in, counting down.
Weather was a nail-biter 60% go, thunderstorms prowling but SpaceX’s Kiko Dontchev called it “more challenging than a normal crew gig” on Friday’s X teleconference. No ISS docking to lean on, just a free-flyer with recovery zones to nail. They pulled it off, and now they’re circling the poles 55 times before splashing down off California in three to five days first Dragon human splashdown on the West Coast.
The Science: Mushrooms, X-Rays, and More
This crew’s not just sightseeing they’re busy. Those 22 experiments? Wild mix. The “MushVroom” gig’s growing oyster mushrooms first crop in space because they’re tough, quick, and could feed Mars crews someday. They’ve got a mini X-ray machine first ever up there snapping pics of their insides to see how microgravity messes with bones and guts. Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) bands for workouts, Oura Rings tracking sleep, a glucose monitor for diabetes research, and post-flight MRIs to peek at brain fluid shifts. Plus, stuff on women’s reproductive health two women on board makes it prime data.
Jannicke’s SolarMaX project’s a standout 2.2 million citizen scientists snapping auroras below while she films from above. It’s a data goldmine for satellite tech and atmospheric weirdness. Eric’s probably stoked to see Antarctica fully lit this time of year, and Rabea’s geeking out over Dragon’s autonomy “a crucial point for space access,” she said pre-launch. It’s science with a side of wow.
What’s It Mean?
Fram2’s a milestone SpaceX’s 17th human flight, sixth private one, and Resilience’s fourth rodeo. It’s pushing boundaries: first polar orbit, first all-rookie crew with no pilot chops, first West Coast splashdown. Blue Origin’s done suborbital hops with newbies, but orbital? This is next-level. It’s refining how SpaceX trains non-pros Chun’s no ace, just a curious rich guy and proving private cash can drive big leaps.
For space nerds, it’s a flex polar orbits unlock new angles on Earth, and these experiments could shape long-haul missions. For the crew, it’s personal Chun’s chasing childhood map dreams, Jannicke’s filming history, Rabea’s breaking German barriers, Eric’s capping decades of polar grit. X is split some call it “groundbreaking,” others “a rich guy’s stunt” but it’s hard to shrug off those pole pics.
My Take
I’m jazzed SpaceX keeps rewriting the playbook, and Fram2’s got guts and heart. Chun’s a wildcard, but his crew’s legit Jannicke’s a visionary, Rabea’s a brain, Eric’s a survivor. The science feels real, not gimmicky mushrooms and X-rays could matter down the line. Sure, it’s a flex for Elon’s empire, but it’s also four people living a dream nobody’s touched. What do you think game-changer or just a cool detour? Either way, I’m glued to those polar shots.
