Nasa astronauts celebrate Thanksgiving in space

Nasa Expedition 72 crew members continued the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving in space extending their warm wishes from the International Space Station (ISS).

According to SciTech Daily, the astronauts, Nick Hague, Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore and Don Petit, recorded a video message where they wished their family and friends a “happy” Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a holiday and tradition celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November by Americans.

“Our crew up here just wanted to say happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family who are down on Earth, and everyone who is supporting us,” said Williams, who appeared in a video message delivered from the ISS earlier this week.

Wilmore said: “Thanksgiving is typically a holiday where family and friends get together.”

He added that sometimes that can’t happen, to be around each other physically. But in today’s age, you can virtually tie into your family and friends.

An FAQ from Nasa explains that for Thanksgiving traditions, astronauts who embark on long-duration space missions tend to be separated from family and friends, and “they rely on fellow crew members to share in the tradition and enjoy the culinary traditions as much as possible.”

“One of those big traditions is having a Thanksgiving meal together, and so we’re going to celebrate that tradition up here,” Hague said during the video message.