This Thanksgiving, while families across America gather around dining tables, astronauts aboard the International Space Station are preparing for a celestial celebration with a specially curated holiday meal that transcends traditional Earth-bound feasts.
A Gourmet Feast in Zero Gravity
Far from the simple turkey salad served during the Apollo era, this year's space Thanksgiving features an impressive spread including turkey, clams, oysters, crab meat, quail, and smoked salmon. The festive assortment also includes various side dishes and treats that would make any Earth-based celebration proud.
Mark Marquette, director of the American Space Museum in Titusville, emphasized the psychological importance of such meals for crew members living in isolation approximately 250 miles above Earth. "You're trying to replicate Grandma's green-bean casserole and delicious stuffing," he explained. "It brings a sense of humanity to people in a way that food, or gastronomy, appeases people."
The Space Delivery and Current Crew
The special holiday foods reached the orbital laboratory in September aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft. The cargo included a specially packaged Holiday Bulk Overwrapped Bag containing clams, crab, salmon, quail, candies, almond butter, and hummus.
The current International Space Station crew enjoying this cosmic Thanksgiving includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, alongside Kimiya Yui from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Oleg Platonov of Roscosmos.
From Skylab to ISS: Evolution of Space Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving in space was celebrated by Skylab 4 astronauts on November 22, 1973. Interestingly, they had just completed a 6.5-hour spacewalk and ate double dinners, though there was no special menu or turkey available at that time.
For many years following this pioneering celebration, astronauts typically had a standard Thanksgiving meal consisting of turkey, potatoes, and occasionally peas. The menu gradually expanded over time to include additional items like shrimp and cranberry sauce, eventually evolving into the gourmet spread available today.
NASA astronaut Zena Cardman shared her excitement about the upcoming celebration in a video from the station, showing turkey, mashed potatoes, crab, salmon, and lobster floating in a transparent holiday food bag. "So I think it's going to be a really, really delicious meal. And I can't wait to share it with everyone, including our new crewmates who are launching on a Soyuz rocket on Thanksgiving Day. That's going to be really exciting," Cardman expressed enthusiastically.
This extraordinary space Thanksgiving demonstrates how even in the most advanced technological environments, traditional comforts like holiday meals remain essential for maintaining crew morale and psychological well-being during extended periods of isolation far from home.
