Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have nearly completed a trip around the sun.
After the NASA astronauts became stranded in space back in June due to a malfunction with their Starliner craft, they have officially reached six months in space, leaving only two more remaining in their extended trip.
Although the colleagues had intended their June mission to only last eight days after departing from Earth this summer, a leak in their Boeing aircraft—related to its propulsion—has left them stranded at the International Space Station (ISS).
But while Williams and Wilmore’s voyage took an unexpected turn, the astronauts are making the most of their additional time at the ISS. After all, Williams recently detailed the duo’s Thanksgiving meal, which included a menu with all the proper fixings—in dehydrated space pouch form, of course.
“We have a bunch of food that we’ve packed away that is Thanksgiving-ish,” the 58-year-old told NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt Nov. 27. “Some smoked turkey, some cranberry, apple cobbler, green beans and mushrooms and mashed potatoes.”
Williams and Wilmore’s Thanksgiving feast—which they enjoyed with fellow Americans Don Pettit and Nick Hague, as well as three other Russian astronauts also aboard the ISS—wasn’t the only holiday tradition that she carried on from space. Indeed, she assured she also had plans to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Williams and Wilmore, 60, are certainly making some lemonade with their ordeal. After their extended trip sparked concern back in August when officials revealed they duo would be stuck in space until February 2025, Williams assured they are doing just fine with the galactic accommodations.
“We’re feeling good, working out, eating right,” she added. “We have a lot of fun up here, too. So, you know, people are worried about us. Really, don’t worry about us.”
Williams and Wilmore will finally return to Earth along with Hague and Aleksandr Gobornov in February, when the latter astronauts' SpaceX mission is complete.