“It was not 100% obtainable, however when it was, it was actually quick,” Chun wrote of the Web connection in an e mail to Ars. He instructed us he used an iPhone 16 Pro Max for his 4K movies. From some 200 miles (300 kilometers) up, the telephone’s 48-megapixel digicam, with a simulated optical zoom, introduced out the finer textures of ice sheets, clouds, water, and land formations.

Whereas the flight was totally automated, SpaceX educated the Fram2 crew reside and work contained in the Dragon spacecraft and take over handbook management if essential. None of Fram2 crew members had a background in spaceflight or in any a part of the house business earlier than they began getting ready for his or her mission. Notably, it was the primary human spaceflight mission to low-Earth orbit with out a educated airplane pilot onboard.

Their practically 4 days in orbit was largely a sightseeing expedition. Alongside Chun, Mikkelsen put her filmmaking experience to make use of by capturing video from Dragon’s cupola. Earlier than the flight, Mikkelsen mentioned she wished to create an immersive 3D account of her time in house. In a few of Wang’s movies, Mikkelsen is seen working with a V-RAPTOR 8K VV digicam from Red Digital Cinema, a tool that sells for about $25,000, in keeping with the producer’s web site.

The crew spent a few of their time performing experiments, together with the primary X-ray of a human in house. Scientists gathered some helpful information on the consequences of radiation on people in house as a result of Fram2 flew in a polar orbit, the place the astronauts had been uncovered to larger doses of ionizing radiation than an individual would possibly see on the Worldwide Area Station.

After they splashed down within the Pacific Ocean on the finish of the mission, the Fram2 astronauts disembarked from the Dragon capsule with out the help of SpaceX floor groups, which usually supply a serving to hand for steadiness as crews readjust to gravity. This demonstrated how folks would possibly exit their spaceships on the Moon or Mars, the place nobody can be there to greet them.

Going into the flight, Chun wished to see Antarctica and Svalbard, the Norwegian archipelago the place he lives north of the Arctic Circle. In additional than 400 human spaceflight missions from 1961 till this 12 months, no one ever flew in an orbit instantly over the poles. Subtle satellites routinely fly over the polar areas to take high-resolution imagery and measure issues like sea ice.

The Fram2 astronauts’ observations of the Arctic and Antarctic might not match what satellites can see, however their expertise has some lasting catchet, standing alone amongst all who’ve flown to house earlier than.

“Individuals typically check with Earth as a blue marble planet, however from our standpoint, it is extra of a frozen planet,” Chun instructed Ars.