Washington, United States

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and fellow crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are getting into the Christmas spirit. A photograph shared by NASA on X showed Williams alongside astronaut Don Pettit wearing Santa hats.

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The astronauts aboard the ISS are preparing to celebrate the holiday, despite being away from home, after a SpaceX Dragon capsule delivered essential supplies to them along with holiday gifts for the crew members.

“Another day, another sleigh. NASA Astronauts Don Pettit and Suni Williams pose for a fun holiday season portrait while speaking on a ham radio inside the ISS's Columbus laboratory module,” the caption with the image on X read.

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According to reports, the crew on the space station is planning to observe Christmas by recreating the holiday customs in space. Their celebration will include special festive meals prepared with ingredients sent from Earth and connecting with their family and friends via video calls.

Earlier this month, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft departed from the space station after a successful cargo delivery for the crew, which consisted of about 2,720 kg of supplies, equipment, and scientific experiments. The capsule was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on November 4 from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre and arrived at the ISS a day later.

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Rumours about Williams’ declining health

In November, Williams celebrated Thanksgiving in space amid rumours surrounding her health during the unplanned extended stay. 

“We have a bunch of food that we’ve packed away that is Thanksgiving-ish like some smoked turkey, some cranberry, apple cobbler, green beans and mushrooms and mashed potatoes,” the astronaut told NBC News during an interview, dismissing the rumours.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were supposed to spend eight days on ISS, have been stuck in space since June after their aircraft faced some technical issues. The duo are expected to return to Earth in February next year.

(With inputs from agencies)