About 250 miles above Earth, NASA crew members on the International Space Station planned an off-duty Thanksgiving and a shared group meal.
Astronaut Mike Fincke said this would be his second Thanksgiving in space and that he recommends the experience. A recent resupply delivered a Holiday Bulk Overwrapped Bag (BOB) filled with festive foods such as clams, oysters, crab meat, quail and smoked salmon. The crew will also have traditional Thanksgiving items like turkey and mashed potatoes, specially packaged to prevent spills in microgravity. Zena Cardman noted the menu even includes lobster and said it promises to be a very tasty meal.
Fincke displayed a can of cranberry sauce provided by the Russian space agency and said having it aboard was a nice touch, since cranberry sauce is one of his favorite parts of the holiday. He added that while he will miss his family on Earth, he appreciates celebrating with his “space family.”
Cardman, Fincke and fellow NASA astronaut Jonny Kim planned to share the meal with three Russian cosmonauts and JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui. Yui, who said Japan does not observe Thanksgiving, added that on the ISS everyone respects each other’s cultures and he was looking forward to the dinner.
If schedules hold, a Soyuz carrying three new station crew members, including NASA astronaut Chris Williams, was scheduled to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:27 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, bringing additional crew in time for the celebration.