Four Fram2 astronauts splashdown from space after first pole-to-pole mission

In over half a century of manned spaceflight, humans have managed to go to the Moon, live in space, and travel across the vast length and breadth of the planet from above except one place - the poles. On April 1, four Fram2 astronauts changed that forever as they took a unique trajectory flying in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from the Arctic to the Antarctic. After four days of circling the planet pole-to-pole once every 93 minutes, the Fram2 crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean aboard the Dragon spacecraft, assisted by giant parachutes. FRAM2 MISSION ACHIVEMENTS The mission was led by an international crew of four astronauts: Mission Commander Chun Wang from Malta, Vehicle Commander Jannicke Mikkelsen from Norway, Mission Pilot Rabea Rogge from Germany, and Mission Medical Officer Eric Philips from Australia. Meanwhile, another major objective is for the Fram2 astronauts to exit the Dragon spacecraft on their own, as SpaceX prepares for future Mars missions, where the crew will have to exit without any assistance.