Astronauts aboard the International Space Station got some much-needed time off and enjoyed some Thanksgiving Day food, all while traveling more than 250 miles above Earth’s surface on Thursday.
Astronauts from Russia, Japan, Denmark and the U.S. all enjoyed the treats that arrived aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in early November.
“This year onboard the International Space Station, we’re thankful for many things, one of which is our unique vantage point. Looking back at our beautiful home planet Earth, we get to see it in a very unique way and see how special and beautiful it is. It’s a reminder to us that while everyone we know and love is back home on Earth, we need to protect it and take care of it,” flight engineer Jasmin Moghbeli said in a Thanksgiving Day video message.
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Food included roast turkey, cranberry sauce, butternut squash, corn and a type of apple dessert.
“We will be celebrating Thanksgiving together in space, but our thoughts are with our families at home and everyone else on earth celebrating Thanksgiving,” said commander Andreas Mogensen.
The crew of seven aboard the ISS is expected to spend several more months in space before replacements start arriving in February 2024.
The first Thanksgiving celebrated in space happened back in 1973 aboard Skylab 4.
NASA said astronauts had a big meal after completing a more than six-hour spacewalk. The meal did not have any of the delicacies that you would find around the classic Thanksgiving Day table.
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The space agency said the first mission to have specialized Thanksgiving Day food was STS-61B which occurred in 1985.
The crew feasted on shrimp cocktail, irradiated turkey and cranberry sauce while aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.
Since 2000, there has been a continuous human presence in space, which has resulted in many holidays being celebrated above Earth’s atmosphere.