American homes will once again be filled with genuine and joyful smiles and turkey-centric tradition will take place as the annual celebration of thanksgiving will soon take place come Thursday. Of course, that includes all Americans, no matter where they are, even if it means to be in the outer space.

Thanksgiving On Space

According to some reports revealed by Time, for decades now, the celebration of Thanksgiving on the Final Frontier has long been considered as a traditional activity of the United States' space program. It was found that the first American astronauts to be in space on the so-called "Turkey Day" were Commander Gerald P. Carr,scientist Edward G. Gibson and pilot William R. Pogue. They comprised the three-man team which has been sent on the third manned mission to America's first space station, Skylab, in 1973.

Meanwhile, astronauts can now enjoy a Thanksgiving meal in space that's just as delicious as their families are having back on Earth. As per ABC News, a representative from the Space Food Research Facility at Texas A&M University has revealed that a team of scientist from the said college has allegedly made holiday food items available like sliced turkey, candied yams, apricot cobbler and more so that astronauts in space would somehow feel that they are not away from home.

Furthermore, Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, a retired NASA astronaut and current professor at A&M's Department of Aerospace Engineering, has claimed that although the foods come in a pouch, the "dishes" still tastes like any traditional, Thanksgiving meal. It was found that Dr. Dunbar herself has been on five trips to space for a total of 50 days and has eaten a lot of types of meals in space. However, she adds that this was her first time tasting the Thanksgiving-themed food items.

Ultimately, Dunbar said that for those astronauts traveling during Thanksgiving are celebrating the holiday by eating sweet potato, corn, and of course, turkey, which tastes just like the real thing as she explains it.