Connect with us

West

First private SpaceX polar mission splashes down near California

Published

on

First private SpaceX polar mission splashes down near California

A SpaceX capsule carrying four private astronauts who orbited the north and south poles landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California on Friday.

It was the first human spaceflight to circle the globe above the poles and the first Pacific splashdown for a space crew in 50 years, SpaceX said. 

The “Fram2” mission, which was charted for an undisclosed price by Bitcoin investor Chun Wang, began Monday night when the quartet blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday night in a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The crew returned to Earth at around 9 a.m. local time on Friday. 

“All four @framonauts [Fram2 astronauts] have safely exited Dragon unassisted,” SpaceX posted on X.

The SpaceX Fram2 crew after splashing down on Friday. (SpaceX via X)

Advertisement

NASA ASTRONAUT TAKES PARTIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR BOEING MISSION THAT LEFT HIM IN SPACE FOR EXTENDED STAY

Their capsule was outfitted with a domed window that provided stunning 360-degree views of the poles from 270 miles up.

“It is so epic, because it is another kind of desert, so it just goes on and on and on all the way,” Rogge said in a video posted by Wang on X while gazing down from orbit.

Wang invited along a Norwegian filmmaker, a German robotics researcher and an Australian polar guide. 

During their multi-day mission, Dragon and the crew conducted 22 research studies designed to help advance humanity’s capabilities for long-duration space exploration and the understanding of human health in space. 

Advertisement

A Dragon capsule carrying four space tourists prepares to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday, April 4, 2025.  (SpaceX via AP)

NASA ASTRONAUTS BUTCH WILMORE, SUNI WILLIAMS GIVE FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE RETURN TO EARTH IN FOX NEWS EXCLUSIVE

The crew took the first X-ray in space, performed exercise studies to maintain muscle and skeletal mass and grew mushrooms in microgravity, the company said. 

After the crew exits the Dragon spacecraft, they will not be given additional medical and operational assistance to help researchers characterize the ability of astronauts to perform unassisted functional tasks after short and long durations in space. The Fram2 astronauts spent over eight months training, which included numerous simulations and emergency preparedness, among other activities, according to Fram2.

It was the first human spaceflight for Wang, as well as vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, vehicle pilot Rabea Rogge, and mission specialist and medical officer Eric Philips.

Advertisement

They named their trip Fram2 after the Norwegian sailing ship that carried explorers to the poles more than a century ago. A bit of the original ship’s wooden deck accompanied the crew to space.

The last people to return from space to the Pacific were the three NASA astronauts assigned to the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission.

This photo provided by SpaceX shows the domed window of the Dragon capsule with a polar region of the Earth in the background on April 1, 2025.  (SpaceX via AP)

SpaceX, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said the decision to splashdown off California was based on safety and practicality factors, the company said.

Advertisement

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

California

What was attendance for Syracuse basketball vs. California?

Published

on

What was attendance for Syracuse basketball vs. California?


Syracuse Orange forward Donnie Freeman (1) defended by California Golden Bears center Milos Ilic (8) and California Golden Bears guard Semetri Carr (3) at the JMA Wireless Dome Wednesday Feb. 11, 2026, in Syracuse, N.Y. The Dome was partly lit running on auxiliary power following a surge that knocked out most lighting. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse University announced a crowd of 19,053 for its men’s basketball matchup vs. California at the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday night.

The figure represents tickets sold to the game.

Syracuse won the game 107-100 in double overtime.

It was a wild night at the dome as the building experienced two power surges.

The second surge, which occurred in overtime, took out the scoreboards. The court at the JMA Dome remained lit and the game was able to finish out even some residual light lost due to the scoreboards and ribbon lighting being out after the second power surge.

Advertisement

Syracuse has averaged 17,062 tickets sold through 14 home games of the 2025-26 season, a mark that ranks sixth in the country.

SU’s next home game is on Saturday February 14 against SMU at 2 p.m.

Brent Axe, a Syracuse native, has been a sports commentator in Central New York for 25 years and counting.

Axe has been a sports columnist, podcaster and video content producer at Syracuse.com since December…



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Colorado

New data shows hail — not wildfire — is driving Colorado’s high insurance rates

Published

on

New data shows hail — not wildfire — is driving Colorado’s high insurance rates


Colorado is second in the nation for hail insurance claims, and new data shows just how much hail is impacting insurance premiums for homeowners.

The Colorado Division of Insurance calculated average premiums for 11 counties across the state based on data from 20 insurers representing 80% of the market. It found wildfire accounts for between 1% and 25% of premiums while hail accounts for 26% and 54% of premiums, even in areas that don’t see a lot of hail.

The Division of Insurance says insurers are spreading hail risk across the state but only targeting high risk areas when pricing wildfire risk.

Advertisement

CBS


Last year, state lawmakers considered a bill that would have assessed a fee on all homeowners policies statewide to fund a grant program for hail-fortified roofs. Coloradans could apply for money to help offset the cost of the roofs. The bill failed.

Lawmakers are now working on a new bill to help bring hail fortified roofs to scale in Colorado, but it’s unclear how they will fund it.

Carole Walker, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, says other states have used taxes from premiums but, in Colorado, those taxes go into the general fund, which is already strained, and fees or surcharges will only get passed on to policyholders.

Advertisement

“We all agree that a grant mitigation program for hail impact resistant roofs — get people to get those roofs on, help bring down premiums — but then how do we pay for those grants? That becomes the question that we can’t quite figure out.”

Gov. Jared Polis supported the bill that would have assessed a fee on policyholders but, he says, he’s open to other funding mechanisms too.

“It’s not an entire solution on its own — I’d love to see other pieces to it that can reduce homeowners insurance — but this piece of when somebody’s making the decision about what kind of roof they replace their roof with when it’s damaged? Over the next decade or two we’ve got to get to place — especially in the Front Range — where more people have hail resistant roofs and that will reduce rates for everybody,” Polis said.

According to Insurify, Colorado has the fourth most expensive homeowners’ insurance in the country with an average premium of $6,630. That’s an 11% increase over last year.

The Division of Insurance says hail fortified roofs could save Coloradans between $82 and $387 a year while wildfire mitigation would save between $3 and $25.

Advertisement

The governor’s office and the state’s Division of Insurance released the following data which shows the impact of current hail claims on insurance premiums in Colorado.

Hail is the Number One Cost Driver of Insurance in Colorado

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Hawaii

Hawaii-born actor Jason Momoa prepares for next film

Published

on

Hawaii-born actor Jason Momoa prepares for next film


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu-born star actor Jason Momoa prepares for his next project.

Just two weeks after the release of his latest movie “The Wrecking Crew,” he’s landed another role.

Reports say Momoa will star in the action-adventure movie “Helldivers.”

The movie will be an adaptation of a shooter style video game. The soldiers known as helldivers will battle alien creatures threatening to destroy the fictional planet of super earth.

Advertisement

The film is set to be directed by Justin Lin and backed by Sony Pictures and PlayStation.

Helldivers is slated for release in November 2027.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending