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Thanksgiving is traditionally a great time for big gatherings around the dinner table, but this year's feast on the International Space Station will be served to only three people. And only two of them have the day off.
This is because two astronauts supposed to be in orbit at this time of the year missed their ride: Nick Hague of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Russia had to return to Earth a few minutes after their launch on October 11 because of a malfunction of the Soyuz rocket. The next crew will not arrive until next month.
As a result, NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor is the only one in the station to have always observed American Thanksgiving. German astronaut Alexander Gerst also enjoys this day, although the event closest to Thanksgiving in Germany, a harvest festival called Erntedankfest, is usually celebrated in September or October. And for the third member of the crew, the Russian Sergey Prokopyev, Thursday is a day of extra work.
Auñón-Chancellor, during an interview conducted in the space that took place three weeks ago, said that she was missing in The Hague and Ovchinin. "Of course, we would like to see them here, but more importantly, they are safe on the ground," she said.
Do you thaw your turkey? The Space Station team is also preparing for Thanksgiving! Tomorrow, an American, a European and a Russian will celebrate together in the space with their own special meal. Thanksgiving by the International Space Station! pic.twitter.com/VVW5QEEvKY
– Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) November 21, 2018
There could be an advantage to the smaller crowd: larger portions of the traditional Thanksgiving menu space dishes, with the irradiated smoked turkey top of the list. Long-life fixtures have been on the space station for weeks, but they will be complemented by fresh fruit, ice cream and other treats delivered to the space station over the weekend during two robotic deliveries of cargoes, courtesy of Russia and NASA and Northrop Grumman.
"We have everything we need, from turkey to candied yams, to stuffing and spicy pound special cakes," said Auñón-Chancellor in a statement. video clip recorded with Gerst. "We are very excited."
Prokopyev will join Auñón-Chancellor and Gerst for the feast after the end of his shift. And there is another benefit to Thanksgiving in space: no plates to wash. Instead, you will have more time to register with your family and friends more than 200 km below.
"Thanksgiving is a moment to spend with those you love, no matter what," said Auñón-Chancelier. "And so we will enjoy this meal together, but we will also remember our loved ones on the planet Earth."
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