In a delightful display of holiday spirit, NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara transformed her feet into turkey cosplayers while aboard the International Space Station (ISS). As part of her Thanksgiving celebration in space, O’Hara received a special pair of turkey socks that she proudly showed off during her day off in orbit on Thursday, November 23.
Sharing her joy with the world, O’Hara posted on her social media platform, “Grateful for good perches, and my family who sent me these socks.” Accompanying the post were images captured from the ISS, including a breathtaking view out of the cupola window featuring a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The turkey feet, cleverly designed, appeared to be clinging to the frame of the window.
The crew on the ISS took advantage of this special day to relax and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast that included holiday treats like chocolate, duck, quail, seafood, pumpkin spice cappuccino, and more, as described by NASA officials.
O’Hara also showcased her turkey-themed socks in the Japanese Kibo module, where the floating turkey feet added a touch of whimsy to the space environment. This module was recently used by astronauts to prepare a materials experiment for exposure on the exterior of the ISS.
For keen observers of the photo, the background revealed a series of flags representing the international partners of the ISS, as well as a set of three small globes symbolizing the moon, Earth, and Mars.
While O’Hara did not specify which cargo ship delivered the festive socks, it is presumed to be the SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft, which docked with the ISS on November 11, bringing supplies and experiments, including a laser communications test. O’Hara herself arrived at the ISS on September 16 via a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, alongside Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.
The ISS Expedition 70 crew also includes the SpaceX Crew-7 astronauts, with ISS commander Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency, NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Satoshi Furukawa, and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. Among the numerous experiments conducted on the ISS, O’Hara and Moghbeli made history by performing the fourth-ever all-female spacewalk on November 1.
On the Earth front, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced a new ISS crew assignment on November 22. CSA’s Joshua Kutryk is slated to fly to the ISS with the Boeing Starliner-1 crew in 2025. This marks the CSA’s first long-duration mission since astronaut David Saint-Jacques flew in 2018-19. Starliner is the second U.S. commercial spacecraft designed for transporting astronauts, alongside SpaceX Crew Dragon, although it has faced delays in crewed testing due to technical challenges over the years.