Guess what? Four space tourists just made history! 🚀 They went on an incredible journey around Earth, flying over both the North and South Poles, and safely returned home. Let’s dive into their amazing adventure!
Around the World Over the Poles 🌍
Chun Wang, an investor who loves space, chartered a special SpaceX flight for himself and three friends. They flew in a Dragon capsule, which is like a super high-tech spaceship. The capsule even had a domed window that gave them a 360-degree view of Earth — imagine seeing the whole world below you! 😮
They are the first people to circle the globe over both the North Pole and the South Pole. Pretty cool, right? It’s also the first time in 50 years that a space crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean! 🌊
Meet the Space Adventurers 🧑🚀
Chun Wang, who was born in the Chinese mainland and is now a citizen of Malta, invited three friends to join him:
- Jannicke Mikkelsen from Norway, a filmmaker who loves capturing amazing moments on camera 🎥
- Rabea Rogge from Germany, a robotics researcher who studies cool robots 🤖
- Eric Philips from Australia, a guide who leads expeditions in the polar regions 🧭
Feeling a Little Space Sick 🤢
At first, all four felt a bit dizzy and sick when they reached space. This is called space motion sickness—it’s like getting carsick but in space! But don’t worry, after a good night’s sleep, they felt much better and were ready to explore. 😊
Amazing Views and Science Experiments 🔭
They opened the window cover right above the South Pole and were amazed by what they saw. “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 while gazing down from orbit. 🌌
Jannicke brought lots of camera equipment and spent the trip capturing incredible photos and videos. 🎬
But they didn’t just enjoy the views—they also did important science! They took the first medical X-rays in space as part of a test and conducted over 20 other experiments. 🧪 They named their trip Fram2, after a famous Norwegian ship that explored the poles over 100 years ago. They even took a small piece of the ship’s wooden deck with them as a tribute. 🛳️
Splashdown Success! 🛬
After three and a half days in space, they splashed down safely off the coast of Southern California. All four climbed out of the capsule by themselves, carrying bags of equipment. Scientists watched to see how well they could walk after being in space. They were so happy—they pumped their fists in the air! 🎉
Why the Pacific Ocean? 🌊
SpaceX decided to have the capsule land in the Pacific Ocean for safety reasons. This way, any leftover pieces from the capsule would fall into the ocean, away from people. 🌅
Did you know? The last time people returned from space to the Pacific Ocean was in 1975 during the Apollo-Soyuz mission—a super long time ago! 🕰️
The Future of Space Travel 🚀
This incredible journey shows that space travel is becoming more accessible. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll get to see Earth from space, too! What would you like to see from up there? 🌠
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
