AUSTIN, Texas -- The youngest Americans to ever explore the North Pole returned safely home last week.

Three-and-a-half-year-old Ronin Phi Garriott de Cayeux and sibling Kinga Shuilong Garriott de Cayeux, 5 years old, joined two other children in setting the record on an expedition led by Austin's own adventurer, video-game designer and astronaut Richard Garriott de Cayeux, a member of the Explorers Club.

Yes, that's right. He brought his own kids to the North Pole -- for science!

The Explorers Club says the group included the youngest American, British, French, Luxembourgish and Taiwanese-Chinese explorers on record with a goal of studying climate change and the indigenous Inuit people.

The historic trip spanned from April 13-22 with access to the geographic North Pole via Norway's Svalbard Islands and the Russian Barneo ice camp, according to Garriott de Cayeux and the Explorers Club.

In a tribute to his favorite city, Garriott de Cayeux flew the City of Austin flag while at the North Pole.

Our own Burton Fitzsimmons talks with Garriott de Cayeux in the above video about visible signs of climate change they observed in the Arctic snow and air.

COMING UP: Watch for a complete interview from inside Garriot de Cayeux's Austin headquarters, Portalarium, with more details on the trip plus a behind-the-scenes tour.

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Richard Garriott de Cayeux