Civilian astronauts captured astounding footage of Earth from space that clearly shows the planet’s curvature, sparking outrage among flat Earthers.
The stunning video was taken by the passengers of the Fram2 mission, a historic SpaceX flight that has put humans in orbit over Earth’s poles for the first time ever.
In the video, Norwegian film director and Fram2 spacecraft commander Jannicke Mikkelsen can be seen gazing out the window of the Dragon spacecraft, observing the clouds and ice blanketing one of Earth’s two polar regions.
{snip}
But the flat-Earthers hit back with claims that the footage was actually CGI or taken with special lenses.
‘In shambles my a**!! Complete the circle, are we in another ice age lmao, why is half the Earth covered in ice. Stop using curved lenses!!’ one person commented.
‘It’s too easy to edit this sort of footage,’ another wrote.
Humans have known that the Earth is round for more than 2,000 years, and there is abundant evidence to support this idea.
{snip}
But people who subscribe to the flat Earth conspiracy theory believe this evidence illegitimate or faked.
They argue that the planet is actually shaped like a flat disc, and that scientists who say otherwise are participating in a massive cover-up.
Flat Earthers took to social media to share their skepticism about the video taken by the Fram2 crew, suggesting the footage is edited, CGI or taken using a fisheye lens.
{snip}
‘It is mind-boggling up here, it is so much fun,’ Australian polar explorer and Fram2 crewmember Eric Philips can be heard saying off-camera as he captured the curvature of Earth.
Mikkelsen and Philips are accompanied by Rabea Rogge, an electrical engineer who is now the first German woman in space, and Chun Wang, a cryptocurrency billionaire who funded the Fram2 mission and is serving as mission commander.
The objective of this multi-day mission was to send a crewed spacecraft into orbit over Earth’s poles for the first time in history.
{snip}
The Fram2 crew has been in space for three days now, and their mission is expected to last four to five days in total.
Although their return date has not been announced, the Dragon spacecraft is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the southern California coast this week.
While in orbit, the amateur astronauts will conduct more than 20 science experiments and studies primarily focused on their bodies’ responses to microgravity and the overall impacts of spaceflight on their health.
This includes taking the first x-ray of the human body in space, performing exercise studies to maintain muscle and skeletal mass and growing mushrooms in microgravity, according to SpaceX.
Additionally, after returning to Earth, the crew plans to exit the Dragon spacecraft without medical and operational assistance.
{snip}
These objectives were designed ‘to help advance humanity’s capabilities for long-duration space exploration and understanding of human health in space.’
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk has set an ambitious goal of flying humans to Mars within the next four to five years.
But doing so will require many more missions like Fram2 to develop ways to make long-distance spaceflight safe for humans.
* Original Article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14567549/amp/flat-earthers-astronauts-epic-footage-planet.html?ito=smartnews