The crew of the International Space Station (ISS) is celebrating Christmas at an altitude of over 420 km above Earth. Although the astronauts are currently far from home, they have created a special festive atmosphere in orbit.
Four astronauts – Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and Chris Williams from NASA, as well as Kimia Yui from Japan – recorded video greetings for Earthlings. They showed how they decorated the station: a small Christmas tree and even stockings for gifts, which they placed near the airlock chamber in the Kibo module. “We decorated the room a little,” Williams said proudly.
Holiday with the cosmic family
Expedition commander Mike Fincke noted that although they miss their families, they find support in their new “space family” – colleagues at the station and ground teams in Houston, Europe, and Japan. For many of them, celebrating far from home is nothing new: for example, Zena Cardman has previously celebrated holidays during Antarctic and maritime expeditions.
The astronauts emphasized how important the support of ground services and families is.
“Realizing how much support we have is a great incentive,” said Kimia Yui. He also promised to treat the crew to a traditional Japanese meal for the holidays. The astronauts also jokingly noted that they were flying higher than Santa’s traditional flight path.
Traditions of space holidays
Celebrating Christmas in space has a long history, from the Apollo 8 mission in 1968 to the permanent presence on the ISS for over 20 years.
The current crew of seven (four astronauts joined by three Roscosmos cosmonauts) continues this tradition, demonstrating that even among the stars, it is possible to create a cozy festive atmosphere.
Earlier, we explained why Christmas (does not) coincide with the solstice.
Provided by Space
