NASA astronauts on the International Space Station charge a Fourth of July video message . NASA
Plenty of people who are away from home or travel far from their sleep with ace will be get off content today — but here ’s one subject matter that comes from a very distant outpost . The NASA astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station ( ISS ) , zipping around the Earth in low - Earth orbit approximately 250 miles above the major planet ’s airfoil have sent a Fourth of July content to those down on the ground :
Currently on the space station are nine crew members : six NASA astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts . The six NASA astronauts — Mike Barratt , Matt Dominick , Tracy C. Dyson , Jeanette Epps , Butch Wilmore , and Suni Williams — came together to post this message , which was recorded on June 28 .
NASA astronauts on the International Space Station sent a Fourth of July video message.NASA
“ The Fourth of July always reminds me of the freedoms that we bear on to fight for every day all over the world , ” Epps said . “ And it also reminds me of being with my house and friends , and celebrating those exemption that we still recognize and celebrate every day . ”
“ For me , the Fourth of July is just a admonisher of the fortitude that it took for our forefathers and their kinsfolk to not only have the will to fight for our freedom , but also the courageousness to do so , ” Dyson aver .
Over the old age , it has become a tradition for ISS astronauts to observe vacation like Fourth of July , Thanksgiving , or Christmas with video messages and playful outfits and event . Previous yearshave see astronauts don red , ashen , and blue outfits or stars and stripes item . Crafty NASA astronaut Karen L. Nyberg even iced an American sword lily cookie in space in 2013 .
For some of the spaceman currently on the ISS , like Barratt and Dyson , this is their 2d July 4th drop on the post . It is also the large number of Americans who are celebrating the day on the ISS since 2006 . The ISS crowd telephone number typically vacillate between 3 and 12 citizenry , depend on which spacecraft are coming and going from the post , and often let in astronaut from Europe and Japan , as well as the U.S. and Russia .
The enceinte crew at the bit is partly due to the mien of Wilmore and Williams , who arrive at the station on the first crew test flight of the Boeing Starliner . They were due todepart last calendar month , but issues with helium passing water on the ballistic capsule mean they will be stay in blank space a while long whilefurther investigationis performed .