Astronauts at the International Space Station celebrated Thanksgiving by raising a toast with iced tea filled plastic cups on Thursday.
Don Pettit, the astronaut from the Spacestation, Endeavour held a makeshift plastic cup in his hand and wished everyone on and off earth a good Thanksgiving.
Pettit showed that they could drink from cups as the usually practice of astronauts was to avoid spillage by drinking from pouches with the help of straws. He also toasted future astronauts.
The seven astronauts aboard the Endeavour Space Station will join millions of Americans in having their Thursday Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, green beans and cornbread stuffing. They will however not be seated but floating during their dinner feast. They will be joining the space shuttle at a height of 220 miles.
Christopher Ferguson, the commander of the shuttle in his message to the Mission Control said that this was an opportunity to spend Thanksgiving, which they normally spend with their family, with their once removed space family.
The single Russian cosmonaut and the nine astronauts from US will have their meal early. After packing up, the shuttle astronauts will take leave from the station crew. The hatch between the space station and the Endeavour will then be closed on Thursday afternoon. Completing its sixteen day mission, the space shuttle will return to Florida on Friday after undocking from the Space Station.
Commander of the Station Mike Fincke said on Wednesday night that it will be a very happy Thanksgiving though we will be sad to see our friends leave.
