Christmas in space! How stranded astronauts are celebrating the holidays
SPACE (KXAN) -- Two astronauts got what one would consider an out of this world Christmas present this month.
Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore learned this month that their extended stay aboard the International Space Station just got a little longer.
The astronauts were originally meant to have a short stay on the ISS after piloting Boeing's Starliner spacecraft into orbit. Delays, however, occurred following concerns over the safety of the spacecraft.
The astronauts were originally scheduled to come back to Earth in February. On December 17, that date was pushed to March. The delay follows the construction of a new spacecraft, SpaceX's Dragon capsule, and additional testing of the ship.
According to NASA, the seven astronauts aboard the ISS will spend the holidays opening gifts, sharing a meal and talking to family.
Spending the holidays in space isn't uncommon. Astronauts aboard the ISS have done it consistently for the last twenty years. Before that, the holidays in space were a bit of an event.
Holidays amongst the stars
The first time the holidays were celebrated in space was aboard Apollo 8 in 1968. Astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell and William A. Anders read verses from the Bible's Book of Genesis while orbiting the moon. Around one billion people heard the broadcast.
Between 1973 and 1974, astronauts aboard Skylab 4 celebrated the first Thanksgiving and New Year's in space. The crew built a Christmas tree from the tins that carried their holiday dinner. Soyuz 13 orbited the planet, hosting two Russian cosmonauts at the same time.
Between 1987 and 1998, 12 crews from MIR, Russia's early space station, celebrated the holidays in space.
Hanukkah was first celebrated in space in 1993. Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman was in space to service the Hubble Space Telescope during the mission. The event was celebrated using an unlit menorah and by spinning a dreidel, according to NASA.
The first Space Shuttle Christmas was celebrated about Discover in 1999. Duck foie gras on tortillas was served for the meal. A Christmas Eve space walk marked the occasion.
The first holiday season aboard the ISS occurred in 2000. Crew members included William M. Shepherd of NASA and Yuri P. Gidzenko and Sergei K. Krikalev of Roscosmos. The crew read a goodwill message to Earth, now tradition aboard the space station.