Loral O’Hara, known for her space exploits, showcased her new turkey-themed socks, specially sent to her for the U.S. holiday celebration.
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara celebrated Thanksgiving aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in a quirky and festive manner
Throughout her day off on November 23, she paraded the turkey feet at multiple spots across the 356-foot ISS complex, delighting her crewmates. Expressing gratitude, Loral O’Hara shared on her social media platform, “Grateful for good perches, and my family who sent me these socks,” alongside captivating pictures of the turkey-themed socks floating by the ISS cupola window. This playful display adorned the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and even the Japanese Kibo module, where the socks appeared to hover in front of the airlock, a site of recent astronaut activities.
The day was a mix of relaxation and indulgence in holiday treats for the ISS crew, including chocolate, duck, quail, seafood, and pumpkin spice cappuccino. Amidst this celebration, Loral O’Hara also didn’t miss the chance to mark her historic spacewalk accomplishment alongside NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli earlier in November.
As Loral O’Hara basked in the Thanksgiving festivities in orbit, back on Earth, the Canadian Space Agency announced a new assignment
Joshua Kutryk from CSA is slated to journey to the ISS aboard the Boeing Starliner-1 crew in 2025, marking Canada’s return to long-duration missions after David Saint-Jacques’s expedition in 2018-19. The Boeing Starliner, aimed at ferrying astronauts, follows in the footsteps of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, albeit with delays in crewed tests due to technical glitches. Loral O’Hara‘s spirited display of holiday cheer in space added a touch of whimsy to the otherwise routine operations aboard the ISS.