Indian American NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving aboard the International Space Station (ISS) with a festive meal featuring smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and apple cobbler. The celebration, observed annually on the fourth Thursday of November in the U.S., honors the year’s blessings and harvest.
In a video message from space, Williams, along with fellow astronauts Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Aleksandr Gorbunov, extended Thanksgiving wishes to those on Earth, expressing gratitude for their support. The crew plans to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while enjoying a special meal provided by NASA, which includes butternut squash, apples, and sardines.
Williams and Wilmore originally launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024. Initially set for an eight-day mission, their stay has extended to eight months due to technical issues with Starliner, now deemed unfit for human travel. Williams is expected to return to Earth in February 2025 via a SpaceX Dragon capsule.
Despite the extended mission, NASA has assured that both astronauts are safe and in good health. Williams, who also celebrated Diwali aboard the ISS, remains positive, stating she feels well and maintains her fitness routine. Having spent a cumulative 322 days in space, she ranks as the second woman astronaut with the highest number of spacewalks.
