Four Civilian Astronauts Capture Imagery of Earths Icy Poles on Fram2, the First Crewed Mission to Polar OrbitThe mission, funded and commanded by a cryptocurrency entrepreneur, was launched by SpaceX on Monday and has grabbed headlines for its flight path The Fram2 mission captured this view of polar ice from orbit. SpaceXSpaceX launched a crew of four private astronauts into space on Monday, on the first human mission to orbit on a trajectory that passes above both the Earths poles.The people aboard the companys Crew Dragon capsule include cryptocurrency entrepreneur Chun Wang of Malta, film director Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway, robotics researcher Rabea Rogge of Germany and adventurer Eric Philips of Australia. The trip was financed by Wang, who paid an undisclosed amount of money to SpaceX.Called the Fram2 missionafter the Fram, a Norwegian ship that explored the South Pole in the 20th centurythe rocket took off from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, around 9:47 p.m. Eastern time March 31. Then, it did something out of the ordinaryit flew south. The Fram2 crew are the first humans to be launched on a polar orbit.From left to right: Eric Philips, Rabea Rogge, Jannicke Mikkelsen and Chun Wang. SpaceXNo previous crewed mission has taken this trajectory, which requires large amounts of power, leading to a significant loss of performance for that launch vehicle in terms of how much mass it can put into orbit, said Craig Kluever, an aerospace engineer at the University of Missouri, to Jackie Wattles at CNN last week. Despite these challenges, the rocket lifted off without issue.Usually, launches from Kennedy Space Center fly east or northeast to avoid populated areas of Florida and Cuba. SpaceX said for this mission, it made modifications to the flight software that would allow the capsule to be moved away from those regions in the event of an emergency as it traveled south, writes Scott Neuman for NPR.Upon reaching space, the private astronautsall of whom are on their first space flighthad a bit of adjusting to do. The first few hours in microgravity werent exactly comfortable. Space motion sickness hit all of uswe felt nauseous and ended up vomiting a couple of times, Wang posted on social media.We had a movie night watching our own launch and went to sleep a bit earlier than scheduled. ... By the second morning, I felt completely refreshed.During their three- to five-day trip, the Fram2 crew will conduct 22 science experiments that include taking the first X-ray of the human body in orbit and growing oyster mushrooms. On their first day in space, the team connected with ham radio enthusiasts in Europe and worked on a study about how human cognition adapts to the spaceflight environment within the first few hours of reaching space, per SpaceX.The missions new flight trajectory will unlock new possibilities for human spaceflight and provide a deeper understanding about our planet and its polar regions, according to a statement from Fram2.But scientists point out that most of the experiments on board dont require a polar orbit, according to Qasim Nauman and Isabella Kwai of the New York Times, and the trip, some say, isnt that scientifically remarkable.Its run of the mill as far as I can tell, says Bleddyn Bowen, a researcher of space politics at Durham University in England, to the New York Times.LIVE: SpaceX launch of the Fram2 missionWatch on The polar orbitwhich is a common course for satellites, but unprecedented for humansmight mostly serve to draw attention to the mission, per CNN, and it recognizes the crews interest in polar exploration.This is a private mission. You need something to say thats different and exciting about it, says Christopher Combs, an aerodynamics researcher at the University of Texas at San Antonio, to CNN. Its interesting that nobodys ever actually done a true polar orbit, and its great that weve got commercial providers that are making space travel increasingly routine.He adds that the mission is a notch above gimmick, but not exactly a groundbreaking milestone.The mission will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, which no human crew for SpaceX has done before. The companys flights usually land off the coast of Florida, reports Josh Dinner for Space.com, but the company is moving its landings to the West Coast to minimize the odds of its space debris causing any damage.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.