Astronauts on the ISS have everything they require for celebrating the holidays following a Saturday delivery full of Christmas goodies.
A SpaceX Dragon capsule, which was launched some days ago from Florida, was able deliver smoked turkey, candied yams, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole and fruitcake to the laboratory located in the sky. Not only that, but shortbread and butter cookies and tubes of icing are also there for decorating.
Commander Alexander Gerst used the big robotic arm of the space station for grabbing the cargo carrier as the 2 craft soared 250 miles over the Pacific on Saturday. It took 2 tries for getting the Dragon close enough for the capture.
The rendezvous was known to be delayed by almost 90 minutes due to the trouble with the communication network which serves the international space station.
The space station has been housing astronauts on every Christmas since the year 2000; crew members are given time off every year for celebrating the holiday. 3 of the current residents of the space station will be on board for celebrating Christmas; the other 3 will be returning to Earth on Dec. 20. Till then, the station is said to be home to 2 Russians, 2 Americans, one Canadian and Gerst, who is known to be German.
Apart from the holiday feast and over 5,000 pounds of other station equipment, the Dragon was able to deliver 40 mice as well as 36,000 worms for muscle and aging studies.
