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In a video shared on NASA's social media pages on December 24, 2024, Sunita Williams and her fellow NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) wished everyone on Earth a Merry Christmas. Williams and astronaut Barry Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS for over six months after their planned eight-day mission was delayed due to spacecraft issues.
In the video, Williams and three other astronauts aboard the ISS talked about their Christmas plans while in space. The NASA astronauts were seen wearing Christmas-themed hats in light of the festive mood.
"Welcome to the International Space Station as we get ready for the Christmas holidays. It's a great time up here, we get to spend it with all of our 'family' on the International Space Station. There are seven of us up here and so we're going to get to enjoy company together," Williams said.
The NASA video was met with mixed responses on social media. Netizens wondered how much it cost to send the Christmas decorations to space, with one person questioning:
"How much did it cost to send up Christmas hats."
Several people questioned how the NASA astronauts got Christmas decorations while in space. Others expressed sympathy for Williams and Wimore's plight.
"Did they take Santa hats with them before they launched in September? Or did they knit them while they are there? Asking for a free," one person tweeted.
"Think about how terrifying it must be when you realize that the only way to get back to Earth is by trusting in the competence of our federal government," another person added.
"Oh WOW how lovely, how did they manage to get a Xmas tree, wasn’t the plan for them to be back home well before Xmas?" someone else questioned.
Other netizens wished the NASA astronauts a Merry Christmas.
"Merry Christmas to you all xx does turkey taste better in space," one person wrote.
"Merry Christmas guys, I hope you spend your holidays with your families soon," another user added.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS, and Happy all other holidays....those at the International Space Station and all the ground support teams!" another netizen wished.
NASA astronauts return to Earth is delayed till late March
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore's return to Earth encountered another delay, with official reports claiming they don't expect the astronauts to be rescued before late March.
According to Reuters, both, along with fellow astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will embark on their four-person Crew-10 mission back to Earth sometime in late March. However, the official date has yet to be revealed.
Williams and Wilmore set sail on an eight-day mission to the ISS aboard a Boeing Starliner capsule in June 2024. However, their return was made impossible after the capsule was deemed unfit for travel back to Earth.
The NASA astronauts were expected to return in February 2025, but their return has been postponed to March or April, according to a recent NASA report released on December 17, 2024.
The organization claimed the delay was due to the assembly of the Dragon spacecraft, which will be used to ship the NASA astronauts from space to Earth. Steve Stich, the space organization's Commercial Crew Program manager, said in a statement:
“Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail. We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule’s readiness for flight.”
NASA is reportedly constantly shipping supplies to their astronauts in space, as per the agency's website.
