NASA Astronaut Celebrates Thanksgiving in Space

NASA Astronaut Celebrates Thanksgiving in Space

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Thanksgiving is a special time for most Americans, but only one citizen will have a truly out-of-this world holiday experience. NASA astronaut Kevin Ford will celebrate Thanksgiving in space while orbiting about 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth’s surface. Ford commands the International Space Station’s Expedition 34 mission, and he’s the only American aboard the orbiting lab at the moment.

Like most of his countrymen, Ford will get Nov. 22 off, as will his two Expedition 34 crewmates, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin. The trio will mark the holiday in the time-honored American way. “We’ll have a little Thanksgiving feast onboard,” Ford said in a video beamed down from the space station. He proceeded to show viewers what’s on the menu, brandishing packets of smoked turkey, Russian mashed potatoes with onions, dehydrated cornbread dressing and cherry-peach cobbler, among other items.