'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAkU4LH//EAB4QAAIBBAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAEBSESEzNy/9oACAEBAAE/AJcqFvcnjbuJE6p1hRpzzlUA72oIqX1f6Nf/xAAbEQACAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAwABBBEhIv/aAAgBAgEBPwC5ebh7rnc//8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEQD/2gAIAQMBAT8AUv/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Wednesday, April 2, Elon Musk shared a five-minute video featuring the first astronauts to orbit Earth's poles. The historical footage also includes the first-ever view of the Arctic and Antarctic regions from outer space.
The video was taken from SpaceX's Fram2 mission, which involved the Dragon capsule orbiting the Earth's polar regions. Launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, the mission was executed by the Falcon 9 spacecraft and funded by Maltese billionaire Chun Wang. The rocket took 10 minutes to reach low-Earth orbit from liftoff.
Fram2 marks the first-ever crewed flight to orbit the Earth's polar regions. The crew includes Rabea Rogge from Germany, Eric Philips from Australia, and Jannicke Mikkelsen from Norway. Their mission reportedly includes conducting over 20 experiments from their capsule and observing Earth's polar regions.
Several netizens reacted to Elon Musk's post sharing footage of the astronauts executing the historic mission. Among them, X user @copyandstuff quipped:
"And here I am, hesitating to get into an elevator."
"Can someone from the crew zoom in on the 'Arctic Pyramids'?" interrogated another.
"This is fascinating, man! There's so much more to life than just planet Earth. I hope I get to experience some of it in my lifetime," opined another user on X.
"Eventually, people will go to space like this just to quit smoking and other drugs," joked a user.
One user implored Elon Musk to take a trip himself in the comment section, writing:
"Elon you just gotta take a trip in the dragon at least once because you literally made it possible."
"This was fun! Thank you Elon & the entire crew for sharing a moment in space!" claimed another.
"Thank you for this. Incredible!! The quality of the video, the unedited candor in the moment, the access to all of this in real time. My, how far we've come," commented a netizen.
Some other reactions on X are as follows:
"Why does big media not mention this? It’s unbelievable how many advances Elon has made and so little recognition - excuse me - outright desecration," a user claimed.
"@elonmusk I’m in absolute awe of the Fram2 mission—space is so incredible! Orbiting Earth’s poles for the first time, capturing breathtaking views, and growing mushrooms in microgravity is next-level. The fact that Rabea Rogge, the first German woman in space, and the crew are using an X-ray machine up there to advance health studies for future missions is mind-blowing. Named after the Norwegian ship Fram, this journey truly honors the spirit of exploration. I dream of getting to space one day to witness these wonders myself!" raved another.
"So far, no human mission has reached an orbit completely above the poles, but such missions may be possible in the future!" claimed another user on X.
The mission is reportedly slated to last nearly four days. After completing the scheduled tasks, the Resilience spacecraft will engage in a deorbit burn, and the capsule will splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams thank Elon Musk and Donald Trump after returning following their 286-day space ordeal
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams expressed their gratitude to SpaceX founder Elon Musk and President Donald Trump in their first interview with Fox News' America Newsroom after their return to Earth.
Wilmore and Williams returned home in March after spending over nine months at the International Space Station (ISS). Their extended stay, originally intended to be short, lasted 286 days due to a malfunction in the Boeing Starliner aircraft that was supposed to bring them back.
Reflecting on the contributions of Elon Musk and Donald Trump in their return voyage, Wilmore said:
"I have no reason not to believe anything they say, because they've earned my trust. And for that, I am grateful that our national leaders actually are coming in and taking part in our human space flight program, which we see is hugely important global significance, and they take an active role."
The 62-year-old astronaut further elaborated on their work in space exploration, describing it as "refreshing," "empowering," and "strengthening." He also raved about the national leaders and people with "high visibility" being involved in the process.
“I am just glad that they are involved and they take notice. You know, our situation… I have mentioned before… maybe it wasn’t the perfect situation, but it allowed a lot of people, including the President and Elon to look at what’s going on at the International Space Station, and take it very seriously…” added Williams.
During a recent media interaction at the Oval Office, Donald Trump also thanked Elon Musk for his efforts to bring the two stranded astronauts back. He claimed that the two "could have been up there a long time" without Musk's contribution.
