Putting the STAR in Starbucks! Astronauts on board the ISS reveal plans to drink pumpkin spice cappuccinos to celebrate Thanksgiving 250 miles above Earth

By William On Nov 23, 2023

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station may not enjoy many Earthly pleasures, but this year’s Thanksgiving menu is truly out of this world.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Thanksgiving dinner in space, the International Space Station crew shared what they’ll be eating to celebrate the holiday this year.

The excellent menu features traditional fare such as roast turkey, cranberry sauce and apple dessert as well as some more unusual selections.

This year’s menu will also include duck, quail and seafood as well as chocolate, rice cakes and mochi.

To really put the star in Starbucks, astronauts will also enjoy a pumpkin spice cappuccino to warm them up in the cold vacuum of space.

In a video posted by NASA’s Johnson Space Center, NASA astronauts Yasmine Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara spoke alongside Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency and Satoshi Furukawa of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

International Space Station Commander Andreas Mogensen said: “We will celebrate Thanksgiving in space, but our thoughts are with our families at home and everyone else on Earth celebrating Thanksgiving.”

“Aboard the space station, we look forward to having a quiet day off and also a nice Thanksgiving dinner together,” Loral O’Hara added.

Ms. O’Hara then demonstrated some portions of the specially prepared dinner items for the crew.

“We have some roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin — one of my favorites — corn, and to finish off the dessert apples,” she said.

To really put the star in Starbucks, astronauts will enjoy a pumpkin spice cappuccino to warm them up in the cold vacuum of space

How do astronauts eat on the International Space Station?

In the early days, astronauts ate food from cans or squeezed from tubes.

Now food is usually prepared by thermal stabilization, which exposes the cans or bags to intense heat, pressure, and radiation.

This means that foods can stay fresh for a long time.

Foods are dried, heated, or eaten fresh in their natural state.

Astronauts eat a carefully controlled diet, ensuring they maintain a healthy weight with all the nutrients they need.

While the menu may be similar, the Thanksgiving dinner enjoyed by astronauts will not look much like our dinner here on Earth.

For example, a roasted turkey is kept in a clear plastic bag.

Only the cranberry sauce maintains its familiar, earth-like appearance, and still comes in a can.

This year’s special meal was delivered to the International Space Station along with 6,500 pounds (2,948 kg) of supplies aboard an unmanned SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on November 9.

With a crew from three different countries, NASA also included some things that might not be usual at an American celebration.

In an update, NASA said crew members are “scheduled to enjoy Thanksgiving with items such as turkey, duck, quail, seafood and cranberry sauce.”

“Desserts awaiting the crew include chocolate, pumpkin spice cappuccino, rice cake, and mochi,” she added.

Some of these items may be personal requests from astronauts, with NASA saying: “Crew preferences are also taken into consideration when planning celebratory meals in space.”

On a more serious note, Ms. O’Hara added: “We also want to recognize that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving the same way.”

“While this is a time for gratitude, it is also a time to reflect on our history and remember those who may not be able to go home for Thanksgiving or enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.”

“We hope everyone enjoys peaceful moments and spending time with their friends, families, loved ones and the planet.”

Astronaut Yasmine Moghbeli added: “This year on board the International Space Station, we are grateful for many things, one of which is our unique perspective when we look at our beautiful planet, Earth.”

The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100bn (£80bn) science and engineering laboratory orbiting 250 miles (400km) above Earth

Over the course of 50 years, Thanksgiving dinner on the International Space Station has evolved. Here Michael Hopkins (left) and Rick Mastracchio (right) show off their 2013 dinner of smoked turkey, green beans, and stuffing.

“It is a reminder to us that while everyone we know and love has returned home on Earth, we need to care for and protect them.”

This year is the 50th year that NASA astronauts have celebrated Thanksgiving in space, starting in 1973 when the Skylab crew first celebrated the holiday.

However, at that time there was no special food shipment and the crew of Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson and William Pogue still had to work a full day.

Carr, Gibson and Pogue had to skip lunch for the six-hour spacewalk and instead celebrated by eating two meals at dinner time.

The holiday was not celebrated again for another 12 years until 1985 when the International Space Station crew dined on shrimp cocktail, irradiated turkey, and cranberry sauce.

So, while this year’s crew may still be eating out of plastic bags, they certainly have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to the quality of dinner on offer.

Illustrated: The $100 billion International Space Station is located 250 miles above Earth

The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100bn (£80bn) science and engineering laboratory that orbits 250 miles (400km) above Earth.

It has been permanently staffed with rotating crews of astronauts and astronauts since November 2000.

The crews came mainly from the United States and Russia, but the Japanese space agency JAXA and the European Space Agency ESA also sent astronauts.

The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for more than 20 years, spent adding multiple new modules and system upgrades

Research conducted aboard the International Space Station often requires one or more of the unusual conditions found in low Earth orbit, such as low gravity or low oxygen.

ISS studies have investigated human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.

NASA spends about $3 billion (£2.4 billion) annually on the space station programme, and the remaining funding comes from international partners, including Europe, Russia and Japan.

So far, 244 people from 19 countries have visited the station, including eight private citizens who have spent up to $50 million to visit.

There is ongoing debate about the future of the station after 2025, as it is believed some of the original structure will reach the ‘end of life’.

Russia, a major partner in the station, plans to launch its own orbital platform around that time, and Axiom Space, a private company, plans to send its own modules for purely commercial use to the station at the same time.

NASA, the European Space Agency, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are working together to build a space station in lunar orbit, and Russia and China are working on a similar project, which would also include a base on the surface.

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