Astronauts Whose Return to Earth Was Delayed Make the Most of Their Holiday Season with Festive Photo from Space
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore posed while wearing Santa hats in a photo shared by NASA’s Johnson Space Center on Dec. 16
NASA
Don Pettit and Suni Williams.Christmas from outer space!
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the two astronauts stranded in space since June, posed for a festive photograph ahead of the holidays in an Instagram post shared by NASA’s Johnson Space Center on Dec. 16.
In the image, Williams, 59, and Wilmore, 61, can be seen wearing Santa hats 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.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
NASA
Suni Williams.NASA announced earlier this week that the spacecraft that will ferry four astronauts to the International Space Station to retrieve Williams and Wilmore won’t be ready to launch until “no earlier than late March 2025.”
The space organization previously said that the veteran astronauts were originally slated to return sometime in February.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
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.”
The new spacecraft is scheduled to arrive in Florida by early January, according to NASA.
NASA
Don Petit.Last month, the crew aboard the ISS detailed how they celebrated Thanksgiving while speaking with NBC 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 the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
In an interview with Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News that 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."
Read the original article on People
