[NASA] Holidays in Space: 25 Years of Space Station Celebrations

[SpaceMan 0]

In the quarter century that humans have lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, astronauts and visitors from around the world have celebrated countless holidays more than 250 miles above Earth while traveling 17,500 miles per hour. Crews have marked Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah, New Year’s, birthdays, and national holidays as they circle the planet every 90 minutes.  

Holiday traditions in space often look familiar, just adapted for microgravity. NASA astronauts share special meals packed by the Space Food Systems Laboratory at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where crews select their menus with help from nutritionists and food scientists before launch. Cargo launches arriving before special occasions often deliver Holiday Bulk Overwrapped Bags filled with foods like clams, oysters, turkey, green beans, and smoked salmon, along with shelf-stable treats such as candies, icing, almond butter, and hummus. 

Crew members exchange small gifts that float through the modules, add festive decorations around the station, and connect with loved ones through video calls. Astronauts also send holiday greetings to Earth, a reminder that even in space, home is never far away. 

Enjoy 25 years of celebrations below. 

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Four Expedition 70 crewmates join each other inside the space station’s Unity module for a Christmas Day meal in Dec. 2023. From left are, Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency); Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency); and NASA Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli.

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ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti pictured aboard the space station on Dec. 20, 2014, during Expedition 42.

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Expedition 4 crew members, former NASA astronauts Daniel Bursch and Carl Walz, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri Onufriyenko, pose for a Christmas photo in Dec. 2001.

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NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Suni Williams, Expedition 72 flight engineer and commander respectively, share snacks and goodies on Christmas Eve in 2024 inside the gallery of the space station’s Unity module.

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The Expedition 64 crew celebrate Christmas in 2019 with a brunch inside the space station’s Unity module decorated with stockings, flashlight “candles” and a Christmas tree banner. Clockwise from bottom left are, NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Meir and Christina Koch, Roscosmos Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka and Alexander Skvortsov, NASA Flight Engineer Drew Morgan, and Commander Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency).

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Expedition 13 crew members, Roscosmos cosmonaut Valery I. Tokarev, left, and former NASA astronaut William McArthur, pose with Christmas stockings in Dec. 2005.

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The six Expedition 30 crew members assemble in the U.S. Destiny laboratory aboard the space station for a Christmas celebration in Dec. 2011.

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Four Expedition 70 crewmates join each other inside the space station’s Unity module for Christmas Eve festivities in 2023. From left are, NASA Flight Engineers Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara; Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency); and Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA.

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Expedition 18 crew members, NASA astronaut Michael Fincke, left, former NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus, middle, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov preparing to share a Christmas meal aboard the space station in Dec. 2008

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Expedition 50 crew members celebrate the holidays aboard the orbiting laboratory in Dec. 2016.

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NASA astronaut and Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams shows off a holiday decoration of a familiar reindeer aboard the space station on Dec. 16, 2024. The decoration was crafted with excess hardware, cargo bags, and recently-delivered Santa hats.

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NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Suni Williams, Expedition 72 flight engineer and commander respectively, pose for a fun holiday season portrait while speaking on a ham radio inside the space station’s Columbus laboratory module.

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The space station remains a vital scientific platform, providing the foundation needed to survive and thrive as humanity ventures into the unexplored territories of our universe.

Learn more about the space station’s 25 years of continuous human presence and explore stories, images, and research at:

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