US launches 1st human spaceflight mission to Earth's polar regions

LOS ANGELES -- The United States on Monday launched the world's first human spaceflight mission over the Earth's polar regions.

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying a four-member crew lifted off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket at about 9:46 p.m. Eastern Time (0146 GMT Tuesday) from the Kennedy Space Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the state of Florida.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

The crew of the "Fram2" mission includes Mission Commander Chun Wang, Vehicle Commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, Mission Pilot Rabea Rogge, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Eric Philips.

Throughout the three-to-five-day mission, the crew plans to observe Earth's polar wilderness through Dragon's cupola, leveraging insights from space physicists and citizen scientists to study unusual light emissions resembling auroras, according to the mission website.

The crew will conduct 22 experiments aimed at advancing human health and performance in space, particularly for future long-duration missions. Key highlights include capturing the first human X-ray images in space, studying blood flow restriction exercises to preserve muscle and bone mass, and growing mushrooms in microgravity as a potential space crop.

Additional studies will explore sleep and stress patterns using wearable tech, continuous glucose monitoring, women's hormonal health, motion sickness, and brain imaging immediately after landing using a portable magnetic resonance imaging device.