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SpaceX's Fram2 returns from first-of-its-kind mission around Earth's poles

39 points by TMWNN 2y ago

alnwlsn 2y ago
I'm really surprised that "the first x-ray taken in space" has occurred this late in the game, given what we know about what being in space on the longer term does to you.
lupusreal 2y ago
I had thought the Polaris Dawn mission did this a few months ago, but apparently that was ineptly named.
- wolf550e 2y ago
  Inspiration4 was the first private civilian mission on SpaceX Crew Dragon. Polaris Dawn was a test flight of SpaceX's in-development extravehicular activity space suit, tethered to the spacecraft (so not like NASA EMU) but in vacuum. Fram2 was the first crewed mission in polar orbit, with good view of the North and South poles. Other crewed missions were in less inclined orbits, usually the same inclination as the ISS or as Cape Canaveral.
  - lupusreal 2y ago
    Slight correction, NASA's EMUs don't use life support umbilicals, but astronauts are meant to always be tethered (safety strap, not life support) while using them. They have SAFER thruster packs as a backup should anybody ever become untethered, but the utility of these is dubious. NASA has done deliberate totally untethered EVAs before, but AFAIK not since the 1980s, as the MMU (SAFER's larger predecessor) was retired after Challenger. The SpaceX suits used so far do have life support umbilicals.
- TMWNN 2y ago
  Chun Wang said that his first choice for the name of his flight would have been Polaris had Jared Isaacman not already used it.
ThinkBeat 2y ago
SpaceX is able to land spent rocket stages with precision. Way back the space shuttle was able to land at a precise point, (I read it was a nightmare to try to steer it) Why are capsules still being dumped into the ocean? Is there not a modern fancy way to make the capsules land on a runway? I am pretty sure this is a dumb question for people wh know why but I am curious.
- dmlittle 2y ago
  Just an (uneducated) guess here, I don't believe capsules carry the necessary amount of fuel that it would take to accomplish this.
  - ceejayoz 2y ago
    The manned capsules, at least, have a launch abort system that was probably originally intended to evolve into landing-capable engines. They even released renders of it years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperDraco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperDraco In fact, they can currently be used for propulsive landing… if the parachutes fail. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/dragon-propulsive-landing/ https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/dragon-propulsive-la...
- Game_Ender 2y ago
  There is a bigger safety margin for humans if you need to land in a relatively large area in the water somewhere with a larger range of acceptable velocities. I believe they considered a propulsive landing over land but decided against it to simplify the initial design. 10 years later though they have added this ability as a backup [0]. Which again shows how if human lives are on the line you want to favor redundancy and simplicity over flash. 0 - https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/dragon-propulsive-landing/ https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/dragon-propulsive-la...
  - bryanlarsen 2y ago
    IIRC, the reason they rejected the land propulsive landing was that NASA insisted on more testing to certify it and SpaceX didn't want to bear the costs of those tests. Given the parachute failures they had during initial qualifications and the subsequent delays and retesting costs there's a good chance they regret that decision.
fifilura 2y ago
Named after the most successful polar exploring ship. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fram_(ship) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fram_(ship) If you could admire a ship, this would be it. It is on exhibit in Oslo.
- ninalanyon 2y ago
  It's not only exhibited but open to visitors, you can go inside it.
starik36 2y ago
I like how one of the astronauts just nonchalantly tweeted every 30 minutes or so, like he wasn't in space.
- robertlagrant 2y ago
  Being on that flight while Tweeting via Starlink that you just used PayPal to order a new Tesla would be peak Musktech.
decimalenough 2y ago
It's surprising how little media attention this got. Sketchy Chinese crypto billionaire notionally resident in Svalbard with six passports of convenience charters a space mission for funzies, and nobody even notices, much less digs into who this guy is. The closest is this softball interview by the Times of Malta, one of his six passports: https://timesofmalta.com/article/meet-chun-wang-first-maltese-citizen-space.1106102 https://timesofmalta.com/article/meet-chun-wang-first-maltes... (Although to be fair, there have been a couple of other distractions in the news last week.)

39 points by TMWNN 2y ago

I'm really surprised that "the first x-ray taken in space" has occurred this late in the game, given what we know about what being in space on the longer term does to you.

lupusreal 2y ago

I had thought the Polaris Dawn mission did this a few months ago, but apparently that was ineptly named.

wolf550e 2y ago
Inspiration4 was the first private civilian mission on SpaceX Crew Dragon. Polaris Dawn was a test flight of SpaceX's in-development extravehicular activity space suit, tethered to the spacecraft (so not like NASA EMU) but in vacuum. Fram2 was the first crewed mission in polar orbit, with good view of the North and South poles. Other crewed missions were in less inclined orbits, usually the same inclination as the ISS or as Cape Canaveral.
- lupusreal 2y ago
  Slight correction, NASA's EMUs don't use life support umbilicals, but astronauts are meant to always be tethered (safety strap, not life support) while using them. They have SAFER thruster packs as a backup should anybody ever become untethered, but the utility of these is dubious. NASA has done deliberate totally untethered EVAs before, but AFAIK not since the 1980s, as the MMU (SAFER's larger predecessor) was retired after Challenger. The SpaceX suits used so far do have life support umbilicals.
TMWNN 2y ago
Chun Wang said that his first choice for the name of his flight would have been Polaris had Jared Isaacman not already used it.

ThinkBeat 2y ago

SpaceX is able to land spent rocket stages with precision. Way back the space shuttle was able to land at a precise point, (I read it was a nightmare to try to steer it) Why are capsules still being dumped into the ocean? Is there not a modern fancy way to make the capsules land on a runway? I am pretty sure this is a dumb question for people wh know why but I am curious.

dmlittle 2y ago
Just an (uneducated) guess here, I don't believe capsules carry the necessary amount of fuel that it would take to accomplish this.
- ceejayoz 2y ago
  The manned capsules, at least, have a launch abort system that was probably originally intended to evolve into landing-capable engines. They even released renders of it years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperDraco https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperDraco In fact, they can currently be used for propulsive landing… if the parachutes fail. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/dragon-propulsive-landing/ https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/dragon-propulsive-la...
Game_Ender 2y ago
There is a bigger safety margin for humans if you need to land in a relatively large area in the water somewhere with a larger range of acceptable velocities. I believe they considered a propulsive landing over land but decided against it to simplify the initial design. 10 years later though they have added this ability as a backup [0]. Which again shows how if human lives are on the line you want to favor redundancy and simplicity over flash. 0 - https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/dragon-propulsive-landing/ https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/dragon-propulsive-la...
- bryanlarsen 2y ago
  IIRC, the reason they rejected the land propulsive landing was that NASA insisted on more testing to certify it and SpaceX didn't want to bear the costs of those tests. Given the parachute failures they had during initial qualifications and the subsequent delays and retesting costs there's a good chance they regret that decision.

fifilura 2y ago

Named after the most successful polar exploring ship. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fram_(ship) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fram_(ship) If you could admire a ship, this would be it. It is on exhibit in Oslo.

ninalanyon 2y ago
It's not only exhibited but open to visitors, you can go inside it.

starik36 2y ago

I like how one of the astronauts just nonchalantly tweeted every 30 minutes or so, like he wasn't in space.

robertlagrant 2y ago
Being on that flight while Tweeting via Starlink that you just used PayPal to order a new Tesla would be peak Musktech.

decimalenough 2y ago

It's surprising how little media attention this got. Sketchy Chinese crypto billionaire notionally resident in Svalbard with six passports of convenience charters a space mission for funzies, and nobody even notices, much less digs into who this guy is. The closest is this softball interview by the Times of Malta, one of his six passports: https://timesofmalta.com/article/meet-chun-wang-first-maltese-citizen-space.1106102 https://timesofmalta.com/article/meet-chun-wang-first-maltes... (Although to be fair, there have been a couple of other distractions in the news last week.)