“Off the Earth, for the Earth.” That’s a statement from one of the NASA’s articles . While we celebrated Thanksgiving from the comfort of Earth, astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren shared video footage of their holiday meals, even performing a few zero-gravity flips while eating.
Millions of American families recently enjoyed time together during the Thanksgiving holiday. Likewise, many families spoke on things in their lives for which they’re thankful. In a video from aboard the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren expressed to the world similar sentiments. You can see their space-broadcast footage in the following video.
. @StationCDRKelly and @Astro_Kjell sent well wishes to Earth and showed what’s on their #Thanksgiving menu. https://t.co/X1BNaJXzvG
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) November 23, 2015
As you can see, Kjell Lindgren was first at the microphone. He expressed that he’s thankful for being on the ISS safely and having such a beautiful view of planet Earth. Verbatim, he states as follows.
“We wanted to wish you a very warm and happy Thanksgiving. We are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be up here on the International Space Station working and living in this amazing, orbiting laboratory — a physical manifestation of what is possible when the great countries of the world work together with communication, cooperation, and collaboration toward peaceful means to perform research that benefits humanity back on Earth.”
He continues by stating that he’s thankful for the “thousands, if not tens of thousands” of people involved in the process that makes their space experimentation and research possible. Lindgren also mentions that he is grateful for his family and friends, and he’s looking forward to the day when he reunites with them. According to one of his recent tweets, he only has 96 days left in space before he returns.
Thankful for my family, this amazing opportunity, our phenomenal ground team, and for our beautiful home, the Earth. pic.twitter.com/rBubDvtqg7
— Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) November 27, 2015
After expressing his thankfulness, he passed the microphone to fellow astronaut Scott Kelly. Once at the helm, Kelly stated as follows.
“Just to add a little bit to what Kjell said, you know being on this space station and looking down at our incredibly beautiful planet gives us a different perspective on what it means to be citizens of Planet Earth. And since I’ve been up here, I’ve seen so many bad things that often happen down there [Earth]. We follow that on the news. And it just makes me really thankful to live in a country like the United States…and for me, being a middle-class kid from New Jersey, to have the privilege to be able to come up here and represent my country like this. So, this is what I’m thankful for on this Thanksgiving.”
In the next moments, the NASA duo shared their dinner with the world. They had smoked turkey, candied yams, corn, and potatoes Au gratin. They even delighted the public with a few flips as they enjoyed the meal. Kelly mentioned that they didn’t have much of the particular food, so it was surely enjoyed.
. @katiecouric @FiveThirtyEight @astro_kjell & I are #Thanksgiving ready! 0G & rehydratable. Location is everything! pic.twitter.com/cr31YVibEi
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) November 23, 2015
Earlier this year, CNN reported that administration advises that all their space foods be predominantly liquid-based— taken along with appropriate vitamins. However, at the same time, the crew gets to create their own menus from a specified list. So, while they only had a limited selection of Thanksgiving dinner, it was probably aptly appreciated. What if you had to eat your dinner through a straw?
. @ShuttleCDRKelly @GabbyGiffords ISS #Thanksgiving . Brown in a bag. I expect to be invited over next year! pic.twitter.com/XVZNP8wuFK
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) November 27, 2015
A jewel of a sunset. pic.twitter.com/Yh1MhRwS6D
— Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) November 27, 2015
How did you spend your Thanksgiving? Feel free to share in the comments section below.
[Photo by NASA via AP Images ]
