Seven astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station are celebrating the holiday 400 kilometers above their families on Earth this year.
The cosmic picture: The space station has developed its own culture of decorations, traditions and leisure every year as the crew members celebrate together far from home.
What is going on: NASA’s Kate Rubins, Victor Glover, Michael Hopkins and Shannon Walker, along with Japan’s Soichi Noguchi and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov will vacation together on the ISS.
- The crew members will share a holiday meal on Christmas Day, as other crews have been doing for them for years.
- The crew will also be decorating their home from home, with plans for a Christmas decorating contest with Mission Control in Houston to be decided on Christmas Eve, according to Rubins.
- Crew members will also have the opportunity to talk to their family and have some free time for the vacation.
‘I’ll spend some time thinking over and pray for all those who cannot be home with their loved ones, “Glover said during an interview with WNYW-TV broadcast by NASA Tuesday.” We understand that. We have a relationship with them, and we will think about them too. “
The backstory: In the 20 years since the space station has been continuously manned by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts, crew members and space agencies have sent Christmas decorations such as stockings and hats left on the station.
- Those decorations have now been used by multiple crews, with some hanging up stockings and displaying a small fake Christmas tree.
- According to NASA, several crews have also decorated Christmas cookies in recent years.
- And it’s not just Christmas. Last year, NASA’s Jessica Meir celebrated Hanukkah aboard the station with a pair of special socks and good wishes for the holidays.