Sunita Williams wishes Merry Christmas from space; netizens ask, ‘Where’d they get the Christmas suits?’

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who arestranded at the International Space Station (ISS) were pictured wearing Santa hats next to a tiny Christmas tree on Tuesday (Dec 24), which sparked theories among netizens. A video shared on NASA’s X handle shows the astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) posing, wearing fancy Santa hats.

Netizens puzzled

The netizens were curious to know how the Christmas hats and other items reached space when the astronauts had been stranded in space since June due to problems in the Boeing Starliner capsule.

"Did they pack Santa hats for an eight-day mission, or are they knitting them up there?" one user on X asked. While some doubted the video’s authenticity, suggesting the astronauts floating in space were actually in a film studio...

One person even passed humour: “Where’d they get the Christmas suits? This feels like the Space Station version of Gilligan’s Island.” Another made a quirky remark, “Imagine dealing with pine needles in zero gravity!”

Video posted by NASA

The video posted by NASA shows astronauts Sunita Williams, Don Pettit, Nick Hague, and Barry "Butch" Wilmore sharing a holiday greeting and sending well wishes to those back home on Earth. The video further captures the astronauts floating in zero gravity. Sunita shared her happiness saying, “It’s a great time up here. We get to spend it with all of our ‘family’ on the International Space Station,” she said.

NASA’s response

In response to the speculations, NASA confirmed that a SpaceX shipment in late November had delivered the festive items to the ISS. The delivery had included not just the essentials for the holiday but also some mission supplies and scientific equipment. NASA further explained that the extra cargo space on the spacecraft allowed for these gravity-defying surprises.

The astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, whose mission with the Boeing Starliner capsule started in June, remain aboard the ISS due to technical issues with the capsule. In September the spacecraft returned unmanned; it had malfunctioneddue toleaks.

The return remains delayed until March 2024, with the astronauts hoping to come back safe.

Watch |Boeing Starliner to return empty: What happens to Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore?

(With inputs from agencies)