How to celebrate Christmas in space ? NASA has found a solution

© NASA

Celebrating Christmas away from your loved ones is never easy, and it's even more unusual for NASA astronauts. In particular, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. These two Americans had not planned, when they left in June, to spend Christmas and the end-of-year holidays in space.

However, a series of events, starting with the failure of their ship, increased the duration of their mission from 8 days to 8 months. Their return, initially planned for the end of June 2024, will finally take place at the end of March 2025, at the earliest, according to NASA's latest status report.

In the images shared by the American space agency, the astronauts present in space do not seem to be suffering from homesickness. They were shown wearing Santa hats on their heads. In their free time they even built a makeshift reindeer, with sleeping bags and various packaging.

Officially on vacation for a few days, the astronauts of the ISS take advantage of this time to “communicate privately with their families.” On these personal social networks, astronaut Nick Hague, who arrived in September in the ISS, shared some private moments, to bring this unique Christmas to the whole world.

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A Special Christmas Meal

Like every year, NASA had planned a special meal for Christmas Eve. The astronauts, who are used to eating dehydrated food, were treated to exceptional dishes prepared by the best chefs on the planet. This year, the Holiday Bulk Overwrap Bag package contained lobster, crab and quail.

Christmas in space, nothing new

While spending Christmas in space is something that is hard to imagine for the general public, it is actually quite common in the life of an astronaut. Since the arrival of the ISS and the manned flights every six months, many astronauts have spent Christmas in space.

This is particularly the case for Thomas Pesquet. The French astronaut spent Christmas 2016 and the end-of-year holidays 2021 away from his loved ones. During his first visit to the ISS, he notably brought back beef tongue prepared by chef Thierry Marx.

He then assured that Christmas was “a celebration” even in space. It is one of the rare times of the year when astronauts have free time. They can spend time together and chat. The rest of the year, the astronauts' schedule is timed, from sunrise to sunset.

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