Expedition 66 spacefliers on the International Space Station plan a “turkey trot” and a few particular meals in honor of U.S. Thanksgiving on Thursday (Nov. 25).
Five astronauts of the seven-person crew gathered to movie a YouTube video launched Monday (Nov. 22) by NASA’s Johnson Space Center about how they’ll have fun the vacation whereas in orbit.
NASA astronaut Raja Chari acknowledged the astronauts will nonetheless have to put of their required 90 minutes to 2 hours of train to remain wholesome throughout their months of time in microgravity. But to make issues enjoyable, historically International Space Station (ISS) crews name their Thanksgiving treadmill time a “turkey trot.”
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“I’ve got some special surprise colored headbands for the crew to wear,” he stated, joking that the train would permit them to run off the energy of a Thanksgiving meal, which can embrace delicacies corresponding to crab bisque, candied yams and cherry blueberry cobbler, together with the requisite turkey.
The crew acknowledged it’s robust to spend time away from their household and buddies on Earth in the course of the vacation season. That stated, the astronauts additionally famous that the coaching forward of a space station expedition can last as long as two years and fosters shut collegiality.
“For me, Thanksgiving has always been about spending time with people I love the most,” stated NASA astronaut Kayla Barron. The crew, she added, will “invite our cosmonaut colleagues to join us,” from the Russian aspect of the space station. As a bonus, she famous, meal prep will not take so long as it does on Earth, as most of what the astronauts eat simply must be reheated or briefly assembled.
Expedition 66 commander and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei stated his present rotation has been an amazing expertise up to now amid the thrill of the arriving Crew-3 of 4 astronauts on Nov. 11. (Vande Hei didn’t focus on a current Russian anti-satellite check that compelled all seven spaceflyers to take shelter per week in the past, which is a delicate subject provided that Russia is among the main companions on the ISS together with the U.S.)
Vande Hei as a substitute centered on the collegiality of his crew, saying, “I’m just going to do whatever I can to show how thankful I am for my crewmates.” He added, “It’s wonderful having all these folks up here, and we haven’t been up here together that long, but wow. It sure has been wonderful already.”
The full crew consists of Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos; NASA astronauts Chari, Barron, Vande Hei and Thomas Marshburn; and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer, designated the 600th person in space.
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