Watch: NASA astronauts celebrate Thanksgiving in space with delicious meals
In a heartwarming tradition, four astronauts currently stationed on the International Space Station (ISS) have sent a special Thanksgiving message to Earth. The video message, released by NASA on Wednesday, features crew members Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Don Pettit expressing their gratitude and wishing everyone a happy holiday. "Our crew up here just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family who are down under and everyone supporting us," Williams said.
Take a look at the video
A unique Thanksgiving meal in space
This year, the astronauts' Thanksgiving menu featured a range of dishes, specially prepared for eating in space. Pettit revealed what their festive meal consisted of, saying, "Here is a container of all the things we are going to enjoy on Thanksgiving. It is a feast. We've got Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Apple Spice, and Smoked Turkey." Even though they're away from Earth's surface, the crew is committed to keeping up with holiday traditions and enjoying their unique feast.
Crew members express gratitude from space
The ISS crew also took time to express their gratitude. Wilmore highlighted the unique experiences of being in space, stating, "There is no other place where you can lie on the ceiling, and this is one of them." On a personal level, he expressed thankfulness for "our family, our friends — those that are lifting up prayers for us," adding that they're grateful for a nation that allows them to live freely and speak their minds.
ISS crew's extended stay and return plans
Wilmore and Williams have been on the ISS since June, after an eight-day trip turned into a months-long journey due to problems with their Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. They are now due to return home in February 2025 aboard SpaceX Dragon capsule. Pettit joined them on September 11, arriving on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft with cosmonauts Oleksey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov joined the crew in late September on SpaceX's Crew-9 mission.
