SpaceX plans historic Fram2 mission over Earth's poles

SpaceX is set to launch the Fram2 mission on March 31, marking the first human spaceflight to orbit over Earth's poles. The mission will send four private astronauts from different nations, including commander Chun Wang, vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, pilot Rabea Rogge, and medical officer Eric Phillips, on a three to five-day journey to conduct 22 scientific experiments. Notably, the mission will attempt to grow oyster mushrooms in space as part of 'Mission MushVroom,' which could provide a sustainable food source for future long-duration space missions. The crew will also perform the first X-ray monitoring of humans in space and other research aimed at understanding the effects of microgravity on health. The mission's name pays tribute to the Norwegian ship 'Fram,' renowned for its polar explorations in the 19th century. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:46 p.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.