Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) celebrated Thanksgiving with a special meal, cultural sharing, and the arrival of new crew members 250 miles above Earth. This year’s celebration included traditional dishes along with unique space-adapted foods, highlighting the importance of maintaining cultural traditions, even in orbit.
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke acknowledged the significance of this occasion, reflecting on his second Thanksgiving in space. In a message sent from the ISS, he expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “This is my second Thanksgiving in space, so I highly recommend it.” The holiday meal was made possible through a recent resupply mission that included a special “Holiday Bulk Overwrapped Bag,” or BOB, filled with various festive foods.
Feasting Above Earth
The crew’s menu featured a variety of dishes designed to evoke the spirit of Thanksgiving. Included in their offerings were clams, oysters, crab meat, quail, and smoked salmon. Zena Cardman, another NASA astronaut, shared her appreciation for the preparations made by the ground teams, noting, “Our ground teams and the food lab at NASA have taken such great care of us.”
Traditional Thanksgiving staples were also present, including turkey and mashed potatoes, packaged to ensure minimal crumbs in the microgravity environment. “We’ve even got some lobster, which is amazing. So I think it’s going to be a really, really delicious meal,” Cardman added. Fincke further highlighted the emotional aspect of the meal by showcasing a can of cranberry sauce sent by the Russian space agency. “It’s kind of neat to have that up here because that’s one of my favorite parts,” he said, while acknowledging the bittersweet nature of being away from loved ones during the holiday.
New Faces and Cultural Exchange
The Thanksgiving celebration was enhanced by the arrival of new crew members. On November 27, 2023, NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian cosmonauts launched aboard the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 04:27 EST. The spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS after a swift three-hour journey, allowing the new arrivals to join the existing team for the holiday festivities. This brought the total number of astronauts and cosmonauts on board to ten.
Among the crew is Kimiya Yui from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, who emphasized the importance of cultural respect aboard the ISS. “We don’t have Thanksgiving in Japan, but here, on the ISS, everybody respects each other’s culture,” he remarked. The diverse crew reflects a spirit of unity and collaboration that defines life in space.
Food plays a crucial role beyond mere sustenance for astronauts living in isolation. Mark Marquette, museum director with the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation, noted that holiday meals help maintain emotional well-being during long missions. “Good old comfort food. And this is what I think Thanksgiving represents in space,” he stated. He highlighted that recreating familiar dishes provides a sense of humanity and connection, vital for psychological health in the cosmos.
As the astronauts celebrated Thanksgiving, they embodied the essence of the holiday—pausing to share, connect, and express gratitude, even in the vastness of space.
