SpaceX returned human spaceflight capabilities to NASA this year. The United States reemerged as a space power after almost a decade of depending on Russia to launch astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX performed a crewed demonstration mission in May, then its first operational crewed mission, Crew-1. On November 15, a Falcon 9 rocket launched an international crew of astronauts aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft on a 27-hour-long voyage to the orbiting laboratory. Crew-1 NASA Astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi arrived to ISS on November 16th. They joined Expedition 64 crewmembers, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and a pair of Russian cosmonauts, ISS Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and flight engineer Sergey Kud-Sverchkov.
The Space Station’s Expedition 64 astronauts from the United States, Japan, and Russia, took the day off today to celebrate Thanksgiving and rest after a long week of working on science research in microgravity. The crew shared what they are most thankful for in a video shared by the agency (shown below). –“Whether your food is floating out in front of you or resting firmly on your table, we hope your day is filled with joy, laughter, and thankfulness. Happy Thanksgiving!” the agency stated.
The astronauts are having an out-of-this-world festivity. They shared the unique holiday meals they will feast on in zero gravity. Their food is not so much like the one we consume on Earth, it is dried inside food pouches. Smoked turkey, cornbread dressing, curry rice, and green beans are some tasty things on today’s menu. “We are zooming above the planet at 17,500 miles [28,164 kilometers] an hour, but we still get to have Thanksgiving up here,” NASA Astronaut Rubins said. “Greetings from 250 miles [402 km] above the Earth,” Astronaut Hopkins added.
“I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!” Flight engineer Astronaut Glover said in the video released by the agency, “…First and foremost, I have to say that I am grateful to be here. It is such an amazing opportunity and experience, there is an amazing view out of that cupola window I’ve got an amazing crew up here,” he said. “[…] Such an amazing place to spend the Thanksgiving.”
“We're going to have a wonderful meal,” Astronaut Walker said, "I think, it's very likely that we will have another American tradition and we will be streaming football to watch up here!” she said with a smile.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Great friends, tasty food, and yummy desserts in space. It was a very good day. pic.twitter.com/aONq8aYvHv
— Mike Hopkins (@Astro_illini) November 26, 2020
“This is the highest party room on Earth!” JAXA Astronaut Noguchi said with excitement, while holding a handful of food pouches, including a container of seafood prepared by a Japanese student. “The year 2020 is a tough one. A year of perseverance and the year of resilience,” Noguchi added, in reference to the Coronavirus outbreak. SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts named the Crew Dragon spacecraft they arrived to ISS on, ‘Resilience’; and NASA named its 2020 Mars Rover, 'Perseverance', names that inspire to push forward through difficult times. “… I really hope every one of you enjoy and cherish every moment with your friends and family, as we do on orbit. I love my family. Thanksgiving is great. God Bless you, bye-bye.” Noguchi said (video above).
Whether your food is floating out in front of you or resting firmly on your table, we hope your day is filled with joy, laughter, and thankfulness. #HappyThanksgiving! https://t.co/UuQc0yEgSr pic.twitter.com/NnTA0ZHaCv
— NASA (@NASA) November 26, 2020
We're thankful for food innovation & researchers! Did you know that a safety system originally developed to feed astronauts in space has been nearly universally adopted by the industry? Learn how @NASA_Technology helps keep Thanksgiving food safe: https://t.co/LIWxexOSqO pic.twitter.com/SONRV1b462
— NASA (@NASA) November 26, 2020
About the Author
Evelyn Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
