Americans are supposed to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, but the celebrations will not be limited to the earthly sphere. Those stationed aboard the International Space Station will also join the celebrations in their own unique way.
Thanksgiving in space
It won’t be the first time the space crew has partaken of traditional Thanksgiving indulgences. According to Florida Today, astronauts first celebrated this quintessentially American festival in 1973, when the crew of Skylab 4 attempted to celebrate the day in their own confined environment.
However, as the publication points out, at the time the Thanksgiving feast available in space was a rather repulsive “turkey salad that resembled salmon-colored glue poured into a chrome cat food can.”
But this time, the feast on the much more advanced and comfortable ISS would be a real feast. This would include clams, oysters, crabmeat, quail, smoked salmon and other sides.
“Good old comfort food. And that’s what I think Thanksgiving represents in space,” said Mark Marquette, director of the US Space Museum in Titusville, as quoted by Florida Today. “I think the comfort and food aspect is a real benefit to your psychological world of living in space,” he added.
On September 14, an elaborate Thanksgiving meal for astronauts was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The astronauts on board can’t wait to enjoy the delicious fare.
Three more astronauts reach the ISS
At 4:27 a.m. EST on Thursday, November 27, three astronauts will begin their journey to the International Space Station in a Roskosmos Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft that will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
NASA’s Chris Williams will be joined on board the spacecraft by Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev. They will join the Expedition 73 crew on the ISS to continue scientific research, the NASA website reported.
The spacecraft will make a three-hour trip to two orbits and dock at the Rassvet module of the ISS at 7:38 a.m. EST. The launch will be streamed live on NASA+, Amazon Prime and YouTube.
Frequently asked questions
When is Thanksgiving 2025?
Thanksgiving will be celebrated this year on Thursday, November 27.
What is the ISS?
The International Space Station is an artificial satellite orbiting Earth that houses astronauts.
