They may be in orbit 260 miles above Earth, but that doesn’t mean the astronauts aboard the International Space Station won’t enjoy some traditional Thanksgiving fare to celebrate on Thursday. Though their meal may look a little different than what your family has planned.
The smoked turkey, corn-bread dressing, green beans, and candied yams that these space explorers will eat have been irradiated, thermostabilized, or freeze-dried. Regardless, the six astronauts on board—Americans Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Flight Engineer Terry Virts, Flight Engineers Anton Shkaplerov, Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova of Russia’s Roscosmos and Italian Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency— are looking forward to their holiday feast. In a video message, Commander Butch Wilmore also shared what he’s most thankful for this holiday: our troops.
“People around the globe that are doing things day in and day out that make a difference for freedom,” Wilmore said. “I’m thankful for those people. I’m thankful for their families.”
PHOTOS: 20 Breathtaking Images of Earth From Space
Aleppo, Syria, May 26, 2013 – The Citadel of Aleppo – medieval fortified palaceDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesBelfast, Northern Ireland, Nov. 3, 2013 – “Wish,” a large-scale art workDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesUtah, USA, April 22, 2013 – Colorado RiverDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesCuanza River, Angola, April 28, 2013 – Cambambe DamDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesDoha, Qatar, March 4, 2013 – Artificial island spanning nearly four million sq meters.DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesDunalley, Australia, Jan. 6, 2013 – fires, false color image (red = healthy vegetation)DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesAustralia, April 22, 2013 – Great Barrier ReefDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesGwadar coast, Pakistan Sept. 29, 2013 – new island created by earthquake in PakistanDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesCroatia, Feb. 16, 2013 – Galešnjak (Island of Love)DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesHong Kong, China May 9, 2013 – giant rubber duckDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesMadang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013 – Manam VolcanoDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNamib Desert, Namibia, May 13, 2013 – Sossusvlie areaDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNaples, Italy, Feb. 19 2013 – Mount VesuviusDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNiger, Feb. 13, 2013 – Arlit Uranium MineDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesSchooner Cays, Bahamas, May 26, 2013DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesSochi, Russia, March 17, 2013 – Site of 2014 winter OlympicsDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNear the city of Sur, Oman, Feb. 13, 2013 – massive “green tide”DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesValencia, Spain, July 19, 2013 – Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park with an enormous fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver trappedDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesVersailles, France, Aug. 20, 2013 – Palace of VersaillesDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesXi'an, China, Sept. 24, 2013 – Shiyuan Park DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
