What the Astronauts Whose Return to Earth Was Delayed Will Eat in Space for Christmas Dinner

12/24/2024 01:00 PM

The American astronauts will also have the day off to talk with loved ones, although they will still have to keep up with their fitness

Christmas dinner in outer space coming up!

Astronauts Suni Williams, 59, and Butch Wilmore, 61, have been in outer space since June — but although they will be spending Christmas away from Earth, there is still a way for them to enjoy a festive dinner at the International Space Center.

Williams and Wilmore are set for a Christmas feast, with a menu that includes smoked oysters, crab, duck foie gras, pâté, cranberry sauce, Atlantic lobster, croquettes and smoked salmon, according to U.K. publication The Times,

The American astronauts will have the day off, per the outlet, but are still required to maintain their regular fitness routines on both the treadmill and resistance machine in order to maintain their bone and muscle strength.

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Chloe Mehring, a NASA flight director, also said that the day off will allow the astronauts to connect with family.

"They'll have the day off to talk to family, send emails, they can use the IP phone [internet phone]. We totally understand the challenges of being isolated up there with only each other … yes, it does maybe take a bit of a toll, but they have been very professional and are handling it really well," Mehring said.

Of course, they aren't the only people on the ISS at present. There are joined by a small group of fellow space travelers, including NASA astronaut and photographer Don Pettit, NASA's Nick Hague and the Russian Space Agency's Alexander Gorbunov.

Related: Astronauts Have Already Been in Space for Over 6 Months. Now Their Return Has Been Delayed Again, NASA Says

On Sunday, Dec. 16, Williams was seen in a holiday-ready photo in an Instagram post shared by NASA's Johnson Space Center.

In the festive snapshot, the astronaut wore a Santa hat while speaking on a ham radio inside the International Space Station's Columbus laboratory module.

"Another day, another sleigh," wrote the research institute in Houston.

Related: Astronauts Whose Return to Earth Was Delayed Make the Most of Their Holiday Season with Festive Photo from Space

Last month, the crew also opened up about how they celebrated Thanksgiving during an interview with NBC News.

"We have a bunch of food that we've packed away that is Thanksgiving-ish," said Williams, who noted she planned to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. "Some smoked turkey, some cranberry, apple cobbler, green beans and mushrooms and mashed potatoes."

In an interview with Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News that same month, Williams said she and Wilmore were "feeling good, working out, eating right — it's just awesome."

"We have a lot of fun up here too," she added. "People who are worried about us, really, don't worry about us … we're a happy crew up here."

Related: NASA Makes Decision to Bring Home Astronauts Who Have Been Stuck in Space for 80 Days

Earlier this month, NASA announced the spacecraft that will ferry four astronauts to the International Space Station to retrieve Williams and Wilmore — as well as Hague and Gorbunov — from outer space won't be ready to launch until "no earlier than late March 2025."

This timeline differs from NASA's previous statement that the astronauts would return home to Earth in February 2025.

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According to NASA, the month-long delay allows the NASA and SpaceX teams time to "complete processing" on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission, which will offer "the best option for meeting NASA's requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025."

The new spacecraft is scheduled to arrive in Florida by early January, NASA said.