Christmas in space

Stranded astronauts send absolutely sweet greetings

The NASA astronauts send heart-warming Christmas greetings from space.(Bild: NASA)

NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, who were stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), have joined their colleagues Don Pettit and Nick Hague in sending loving Christmas greetings from space.

In a video message published on the night of December 24, the astronauts wore Christmas accessories: they created a festive atmosphere with Santa hats. Suni Williams in particular attracted attention with her reindeer hair hoop floating in her weightlessly flying mane of curls.

Special cohesion
As she playfully sent candy canes flying through the weightlessness, Williams spoke about the special bond on board: "The seven of us up here are like a family. We enjoy the Christmas holidays together, have fun and prepare for the festive season." The anticipation of celebrating together and the small preparations are one of the best aspects of Christmas for them.

The astronauts' festive greetings come at a difficult time: Williams and Wilmore are spending the holidays involuntarily in space - six months after their return to Earth, which was originally planned for June. 

The two had reached the ISS on June 6 in a Starliner space capsule from the US aerospace company Boeing and were supposed to return eight days later in the same capsule.

Docking problems
During docking with the ISS, however, problems occurred with the capsule's thrusters, which are needed for precise maneuvering. Helium leaks were also discovered before the launch and during the flight. The US space agency then decided to fly the Starliner back to Earth without a crew. Since then, the two have bravely tried to make the best of it - even at Christmas.