Christmas in Space
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On December 22, 2021, SpaceX’s “sleigh,” actually named “Dragon,” delivered almost 6,500 pounds of goods for the crew of the International Space Station (ISS). The science experiments included a study related to cancer treatment delivery and a small printer that could potentially print tissue onto wounds and speed up healing, but that wasn’t the only thing delivered to the ISS. There were holiday treats and Christmas presents for this small band of holiday spacers. As the crew began to sort through the gifts delivered, European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer joked that the crew could celebrate Christmas 16 times as the space station orbited the Earth.
Every year, on December 25th, many people around the world gather with family and friends to enjoy Christmas festivities. But what about those unable to be home for the holidays? Astronauts orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station (ISS) must celebrate Christmas in a new way.
The first-ever recorded Christmas in space was during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. This mission marked a number of firsts for NASA, including being the first time humans ever orbited another celestial body—the Moon! As part of their mission, Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders read from the book of Genesis while orbiting over the moon’s surface on December 24th.
The crew also spent time creating their own Christmas tree, using leftover food containers, colored decals as decorations, and topped it with a cardboard cutout of a comet. After a seven hour spacewalk to change out film canisters, the crew ate a Christmas dinner with fruitcake, spoke to their families back home, and even got a chance to open presents together.
Fast forward to today, astronauts aboard the ISS are celebrating each year with a variety of traditions. While much is similar to Christmas here on Earth—including decorations, parties and special meals—there are some distinct differences that make it unique. For example, due to weightlessness onboard the station, astronauts use Velcro® or magnets to attach decorations and gifts to walls or other flat surfaces. And instead of a traditional tree, they often opt for a “space tree” made up of paper shapes hung with string from hooks attached to hatch doors or handrails. In addition, astronauts have been known to share their own stories from missions past as well as exchange homemade cards and other small mementos with one another during these special occasions.
Though not all astronauts are able to make it back home for Christmas each year due to their busy schedules, there are still ways they can connect with family and friends without having to leave Earth’s orbit. Through Skype calls, email messages and video chats using iPads onboard the ISS, astronauts can stay connected no matter where they are located, and in 202, astronauts sent out holiday greetings from space via Twitter & Instagram. While these virtual conversations may not be quite as special as seeing loved ones in person over dinner or exchanging presents under a tree full of twinkling lights like we do here on Earth; it is still better than nothing!
In 2019, the crew of the ISS celebrated the days leading up to the holiday by playing Christmas music throughout the station, and kept classic holiday movies playing to promote Christmas cheer. The crew also used a projector with a recording of a fireplace to give Santa a way to leave his gifts underneath the imaginary Christmas tree – and they aren’t the first either. Terry Virts, who spent December 25th, 2014 orbiting
Russian astronauts, who also work on the ISS, are not idle either. Though they don’t celebrate Christmas until January 7, they didn’t forget their American crewmates. On December 25, 2020, while the American crew was hard at work, the Russian crew spent the holiday decorating their part of the space station and invited the Americans over for dinner. Food is always a question for the astronauts of the ISS, since they will be eating only what can be safely stored during their time in space. In 2016, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet took the opportunity during a Christmas broadcast to show some of the food he planned to eat during the holiday: tinned chicken supreme with morels, and tinned gingerbread. Another SpaceX “sleigh” in 2018 brought candied yams, smoked turkey, shortbread and butter cookies, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and fruitcake to the astronauts for their winter feast. Items that require refrigeration are impractical and therefore not included – and alcohol is strictly banned, which means there won’t be any peppermint schnapps or eggnog anytime soon! Celebrating Christmas in space brings its own unique set of challenges and opportunities that many of us don’t get down here on Earth. From decorations held up by magnets to virtual conversations with families far away; these brave individuals have found creative solutions that allow them to still enjoy this time of year despite being so far away from home. The next time you look up into night sky this holiday season just remember that above you floats an entire microcosm filled with festive cheer! So take some time out this December 25th and join NASA in wishing our brave astronauts happy holidays from outer space!
Resources Referenced:
Hockaday, J. (2019, December 25). Christmas in weird places: Astronaut turned space station into Santa’s grotto. Metro. Retrieved December 17, 2022, from https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/25/christmas-in-weird-places-nasa-astronaut-turned-space-station-into-santas-grotto-11934671/
Hurst, L. (2021, December 18). How astronauts celebrate Christmas on the International Space Station. euronews. Retrieved December 17, 2022, from https://www.euronews.com/next/2021/12/18/a-christmas-out-of-this-world-how-astronauts-on-the-iss-will-celebrate-the-holidays-in-spa
O’Dowd, P., & Hagan, A. (2021, December 24). Christmas in space: Astronauts deck the halls of the international space station this holiday. Here & Now. Retrieved December 17, 2022, from https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/12/24/astronauts-christmas-space
Speck, E. (2021, December 22). Christmas delivery: Spacex rocket launches on cargo run to Space Station. Fox Weather. Retrieved December 17, 2022, from https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/christmas-delivery-spacex-rocket-launches-on-cargo-run-to-space-station
Strickland, A. (2021, December 24). How astronauts celebrate Christmas in space. CNN. Retrieved December 17, 2022, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/24/world/nasa-astronauts-christmas-space-scn/index.html
Stromberg, J. (2014, December 25). How astronauts celebrate Christmas in space. Vox. Retrieved December 17, 2022, from https://www.vox.com/2014/12/25/7443913/christmas-space-station
Uri, J. (2021, December 23). Celebrating the holiday season in space. NASA. Retrieved December 17, 2022, from https://www.nasa.gov/feature/celebrating-the-holiday-season-in-space
