The astronauts were surrounded by floating candy canes and makeshift snowmen built out of storage bags. international space station Come together to wish everyone on the planet a Merry Christmas.
Commander of the 72nd Expedition Sunita “Suni” WilliamsWearing a festive pair of reindeer antlers, join NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore, Don Pettit and Nick Hague in a home away from home 260 miles (420 kilometers) above Earth Share the holiday cheer.
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” Williams says in the video Recorded on Monday (December 23). “We get to spend this time on the International Space Station with all our families. There are seven of us here, so we can enjoy the company together.”
Except these four NASA In addition to the astronauts, the space station staff includes Roscosmos’ Alexey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner and Alexander Gorbunov Gorbunov) Russian space agency.
“During Christmas, during the holidays, we get to spend time with friends, family and loved ones. This year, we will be in orbit far away from them,” said Hague, who plans to return to Earth in March. “We are not the only ones spending time away from our families during the holidays. We have a large team on the ground that will support us in mission control around the world.”
“I want to thank them for the sacrifice they have made together. We work hand-in-hand with the ground every day, and during the holidays, we will continue to fulfill this mission,” he said.
The ground team is ready special holiday meal Pettit gives a quick preview of what it’s like for station staff in the film.
“Christmas is synonymous with food and feasting. Oh my gosh, we’ve prepared a feast here,” he said.
In addition to food and snacks, staff also have a small artificial Christmas tree and ornaments decorated with family photos.
Hague, Pettit and Wilmore all wore Santa hats to convey the message, while Wilmore, a Tennessean, donned a cowboy hat. Wilmore is also an ordained minister and devout Christian, which allows him to also remind everyone about the religious aspects of the holiday.
“Of course, Christmas is Christ. Hallelujah, the Savior is born,” Wilmore said.
The Astros ended their message with a simple “Merry Christmas!”
If you’re planning to look up at the night sky this holiday season, our Christmas night sky Guide provides tips on how to view Venus and other planets. If you’re more interested in history, check out our star of bethlehem leads astronomers to debate what it might be.