The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared a special Thanksgiving message, featuring four astronauts demonstrating how they celebrate Thanksgiving in space and enjoy their feast.
American astronauts Suni Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Don Pettit are set to spend Thanksgiving in 2024 aboard the International Space Station.
In a video message, they expressed gratitude for all the things they have and wished a happy Thanksgiving to friends, family, and supporters.
Williams said, “We want to wish a happy Thanksgiving to all our friends, family on Earth, and all those who support us.”
Pettit mentioned, “Thanksgiving is usually a holiday for family and friends gatherings. Sometimes we can gather together, but today, we can also reunite with family and friends through the internet.”
Hague explained that having a Thanksgiving feast is a tradition, but the astronauts’ meals might look different from what most people are used to. He then proceeded to showcase their Thanksgiving meal. Upon opening a container of food, many silver packets of food started floating around in the microgravity environment.
The food items included smoked turkey, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and apples.
It seems the four astronauts were in good spirits, with one of them noting that the food “will be very tasty.”
Wilmore showed off his ability to freely float and lie on the ceiling in zero gravity conditions.
He expressed gratitude towards the United States, the spacefaring nation that allows people to live freely, and believed there are many things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving.
Williams and Wilmore are currently stranded at the International Space Station. They arrived on June 5 and conducted a one-week test flight, only to encounter propulsion system failures and a serious helium leak on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were aboard, prompting NASA to extend their mission and rely on a SpaceX spacecraft to bring them back to Earth.