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The first space tourism mission by Elon Musk’s SpaceX blasted off from Florida on Wednesday and the four crew members — a billionaire and three other Americans — have already seen more than 25 sunsets and sunrises.

SpaceX has released few details about their adventure since they reached an orbit which is more distant than that of the International Space Station.

Here’s what we know about their life on board:

Nine square meters 

The four space tourists are aboard the SpaceX crew capsule called Dragon.

It is 8.1 meters (26.7 feet) tall and has a diameter of four meters (13 feet).

The capsule is composed of a trunk, which is inaccessible to the crew, upon which sits the living quarters.

The entire volume of the capsule is just 9.3 square meters (328 square feet).

Chris Sembroski, a 42-year-old Air Force veteran who is one of the crew members, has compared it to travelling with friends in a van — one you can’t step away from though if you want to take a break.

Toilets with a view

The exact technology behind the toilets aboard the capsule is a SpaceX secret.

But Hayley Arceneaux, one of the four crew members, said in a Netflix documentary that the “bathroom is on the ceiling.”

“Really literally a panel that we take off and there’s like a funnel,” Arceneaux said. “There’s no upside down in space.”

The toilet is located near the clear glass observation dome, or cupola, installed on Dragon, which provides a spectacular 360-degree view of the cosmos.

“When people do inevitably have to use the bathroom, they’re going to have one hell of a view,” billionaire Jared Isaacman, the mission commander, told Business Insider.

Privacy is ensured with a simple curtain.

‘Eating, doing chores’ 

SpaceX released a video call Friday between the Inspiration4 crew and patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

The 29-year-old Arceneaux, who was treated for bone cancer as a child at St. Jude and works there now as a physician assistant, was asked by a patient what the astronauts do for “fun” in space.

She said they have spent time “eating, doing chores and looking out the window at the world.”

Sembroski said they’ve also been doing “a lot of blood tests and glucose monitoring.”

The astronauts were also asked what is their favorite “space food.”

“My favorite space food is pizza which I had yesterday and I’ll probably have for dinner tonight also,” said Sian Proctor, 51, who teaches geology at a small college in Arizona and was a finalist to become a NASA astronaut.

Musical interludes are also planned. Each passenger drew up a 10-song playlist and Sembroski planned to bring his ukelele.

The instrument and other objects are to be auctioned later with the proceeds going to St Jude.

The goal of the mission is to raise $200 million for the hospital, with Isaacman personally donating $100 million.

Scientific research 

SpaceX tweeted on Thursday that the crew had carried out a “first round of scientific research.”

One of the goals of the mission is to collect data on the effects of the environment of space on complete novices.

Their cardiac rhythms, sleep and blood oxygen levels will be monitored along with radiation exposure.

Their cognitive functions were tested before the flight and will be examined again on their return.

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Shenzhou 18 Astronauts Return to Earth Post Six-Month Space Mission

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Shenzhou 18 Astronauts Return to Earth Post Six-Month Space Mission

After a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong space station, Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu safely returned to Earth, touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China. Having launched on April 25, the crew concluded their mission on Sunday, November 3, 2024, with the capsule landing at approximately 12:24 p.m. EST (or 12:24 a.m. Beijing time on November 4th). All three astronauts are reported to be in good health following their extended stay in orbit, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Mission Highlights and Scientific Endeavours

As per a recent report by Space, Commander Ye and his crewmates conducted numerous scientific investigations, which included studying ancient microbes and conducting emergency drills during this tenure. The astronauts also completed a record-breaking spacewalk in May and another in June, during which they installed shielding to protect the station from space debris. Commander Ye made history, becoming China’s first astronaut to accumulate over 365 days in space, following his prior involvement in the Shenzhou 13 mission in 2021-2022.

The astronauts captured views of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, from where they launched in April, as well as China’s Wenchang spaceport, located on Hainan Island, where modules of Tiangong were previously launched.

Space Station Expansion Plans and Future Crews

The Shenzhou 18 crew welcomed the arrival of their successors, the Shenzhou 19 team, aboard Tiangong on 30th October, marking a brief period where six astronauts shared the station. The official handover of station command to Shenzhou 19’s Commander Cai Xuzhe took place on 1st November, continuing China’s practice of smooth orbital transitions since Tiangong’s completion in late 2022.
Chinese space officials plan to expand Tiangong with three additional modules, forming a double T-shaped structure. The expansion will support continuous occupancy, and a Hubble-class telescope is also scheduled for launch to the same orbit, where it will dock with the station for maintenance.

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Meet Hang Son Doong: The World’s Largest Cave with Two Jungles and More

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Meet Hang Son Doong: The World’s Largest Cave with Two Jungles and More

The Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam, located in Quang Binh Province within Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park currently holds the title as the largest known cave in the world. With dimensions exceeding three miles (5 km) in length and 660 feet (200 m) in height, this natural wonder could house 15 Great Pyramids of Giza within its vast chambers. Its enormous passages are so spacious that a Boeing 747 could hypothetically fly through parts of the cave. The unique “skylights” in the cave’s limestone structure allow sunlight to flood in, nourishing two jungles nestled within the cave, and creating an ecosystem unlike any other on Earth.

A Discovery Decades in the Making

As per a recent report by LiveScience, Hang Son Doong, meaning “Mountain River,” was first discovered by Ho Khanh, a local resident, in 1990. Khanh stumbled upon the cave while hunting, noting the rush of wind and sound of water echoing from inside. However, surrounded by dense foliage, he was unable to relocate it until 2009. That year, Khanh successfully led a team from the British Cave Research Association, including cave expert Howard Limbert, to its entrance. Limbert, technical director at Oxalis Adventure, which now organises tours of Son Doong, described the discovery as monumental, with the team quickly recognising its scale and significance.

A Cave of Record-Breaking Dimensions

Upon detailed exploration, researchers determined that Hang Son Doong has a total volume of around 1.35 billion cubic feet (38.5 million cubic metres). This makes it the largest natural cave ever measured. In 2019, divers found an underwater tunnel connecting Son Doong to Hang Thung, adding another 57 million cubic feet (1.6 million cubic metres) to its volume. Limbert compared the discovery to “finding an additional peak on Mount Everest,” underscoring the cave’s unmatched scale in the subterranean world.

A Natural Masterpiece and Ecosystem

Beyond its size, Son Doong features remarkable geological formations. It houses one of the world’s tallest stalagmites, standing 260 feet (80 m) high, and includes the Great Wall of Vietnam, a calcite barrier that challenged explorers on their initial visits. The cave’s fossil passages offer a glimpse into the area’s ancient marine history, with fossils from sea creatures that once inhabited the region. Inside the Passchendaele Passage, named after a World War I battlefield, explorers encounter muddy terrain that mirrors the historic battlefield’s conditions.

In the heart of the cave, the collapsed ceiling forms skylights that allow light to reach its depths, nurturing thriving jungles and completing the surreal landscape of Son Doong.

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Scientists Are Reportedly Interested in Uncovering the Secrets of UFOs

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Scientists Are Reportedly Interested in Uncovering the Secrets of UFOs

In 2015, U.S. Navy pilots conducting training flights along the East Coast reported encounters with unusual, high-speed objects moving over the water. Descriptions from the pilots reveal that these oval-shaped objects appeared to rotate as they moved, covering vast distances at incredible speeds. Multiple pilots confirmed sighting these objects, which they noted were different from any known aircraft; they had no visible engines, exhaust, or defining propulsion systems.

According to Lt. Ryan Graves, a seasoned F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot with over a decade of experience, these objects were not a one-time sighting but were observed repeatedly over a period of months. The pilots’ observations, recorded on video, showed the objects not only hovering above the ocean’s surface but also appearing at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet, travelling at speeds beyond the capabilities of conventional military aircraft.

A Secret Unveiled to the Public

The public was made aware of these sightings in 2019 which was four years after they took place, when The New York Times published an article including the footage captured by the Navy. This article marked the beginning of a shift in how the U.S. government and the military approached the topic of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), as they are now officially termed. Shortly after, in April 2020, the U.S. Navy officially verified the authenticity of these videos, sparking renewed public and scientific interest in the nature and origin of these mysterious sightings.

Roswell and UFO Fever: A Lingering Curiosity

Public curiosity around UFOs is not new. In 1947, the Roswell Incident—where debris from an unidentified object was discovered on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico—captured the nation’s imagination. Initial reports suggested it was a “flying saucer,” though the Army quickly retracted this, claiming the debris was from a weather balloon. This incident began a national obsession with UFOs, and the lore around Roswell has only grown over the decades. The Roswell Incident, combined with further sightings and theories around “Area 51,” left a lasting cultural impact on the public’s perception of UFOs and government secrecy.

Government Engagement and Investigation

As UAP sightings continued, the U.S. government initiated a more transparent approach to investigations. In 2021, a report was released acknowledging the existence of several unexplained UAP incidents since 2004, while maintaining that there was no evidence to suggest these sightings were of extraterrestrial origin. However, the U.S. government did highlight the need for investigation, given the potential implications for national security.

In response, the Pentagon established the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in July 2022, tasked with coordinating and leading efforts to gather and analyse information on UAP. While there is no conclusive evidence linking UAP to extraterrestrial life, the objective remains to uncover the origins of these sightings, including the possibility of advanced foreign technology.

Science Takes a Stand

The rising interest in UAP has encouraged scientists to step forward in challenging long-standing stigma. NASA formed a scientific panel in 2022 dedicated to exploring UAP with an evidence-based approach. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has also made waves in the scientific community by establishing the Galileo Project, which applies observational and analytical technology to gather objective data on UAP.

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