Astronauts Whose Return to Earth Was Delayed Make the Most of Their Holiday Season with Festive Photo from Space

Mar. 15, 2025

Don Pettit and Suni Williams.Photo:NASA

NASA

Christmasfromouter space!

In the image, Williams, 59, can be seenwearing Santa hatswith a fellow astronaut while speaking on a ham radio inside the International Space Station’s Columbus laboratory module.

“Another day, another sleigh,” the research institute in Houston wrote in its caption.

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Suni Williams.NASA

NASAannouncedearlier this week that the spacecraft that will ferry four astronauts to the International Space Station to retrieve Williams and Wilmore, 61, won’t be ready to launch until “no earlier than late March 2025.”

The space organizationpreviously saidthat the veteran astronauts were originally slated to return sometime in February.

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The delay, NASA said, gives them and SpaceX teams time to “complete processing” on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission, which will offer “the best option for meeting NASA’s requirements and achieving space station objectives for 2025.”

Don Petit.NASA

Last month, the crew aboard the ISS detailed how they celebratedThanksgivingwhile speaking withNBC News.

“We have a bunch of food that we’ve packed away that is Thanksgiving-ish. Some smoked turkey, some cranberry, apple cobbler, green beans and mushrooms and mashed potatoes,” Williams said, adding that she planned to watch theMacy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

In an interview with Lester Holt onNBC Nightly Newsthat same month, Williams said she and Wilmore are enjoying their time away from Earth, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.

“We’re feeling good, working out, eating right — it’s just awesome," she explained. “We have a lot of fun up here too. People who are worried about us, really, don’t worry about us … we’re a happy crew up here.”

source: people.com