Station Decorated for Holidays as Crew Studies Life in Space

Italian Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti
Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is in the holiday spirit as the station is decorated with stockings for each crew member and a tree.

It’s beginning to look like Christmas on the International Space Station. The stockings are out, the tree is up and the station residents continue advanced space research to benefit life on Earth and in space.

A wide array of research work took place Tuesday with scientists on the ground, working in conjunction with the astronaut lab assistants, exploring different fields.

Behavioral testing was scheduled Tuesday for the Neuromapping study to assess changes in a crew member’s perception, motor control, memory and attention during a six-month space mission. Results will help physicians understand brain structure and function changes in space, how a crew member adapts to returning to Earth and develop effective countermeasures.

› Read more about NeuroMapping

Another study is observing why human skin ages at a quicker rate in space than on Earth. The Skin B experiment will provide scientists a model to study the aging of other human organs and help future crew members prepare for long-term missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

› Read more about Skin-B

46 thoughts on “Station Decorated for Holidays as Crew Studies Life in Space”

    1. Win them all ( the scientific experiments ) and come back ,safe and sound. Thank you all there. Hyderabad,India time ::1330 hrs.

    2. Samantha and to all of You, Expedition 42, Frontier Explorers, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year 2015 and thank you for demonstrating the possibility that current earthly bound Humankind can eventually thrive beyond planet Earth …

  1. I monitor Spot the Station and wave to you when you’re over my house in VT. Lately we’ve had too much cloud cover to see the evening sky in this region. Just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you may like to celebrate.

    Happy 2015,
    Diane

  2. Soy una adolescente de Argentina y estoy absolutamente fascinada!! Quiero ser parte de todo esto y conocer el espacio. Les deseo unas hermosas fiestas y que sean felices, espero algún día ser parte de la NASA!

  3. AUGURI di cuore a te e a tutti i componenti della stazione spaziale domani e Natale esprimo un desiderio di poter avere una foto ad alta definizione dell’Italia oppure il link dove poter scaricarla se questo e possibile. Ti ringrazio Bruno

  4. thanks for your bravery service for human being and earth over 300 miles away from earth. god bless you. marry Christmas all of you.

  5. Feliz Natal e um ano novo muito feliz, você tem apenas passou sobre nós !! (Ashford, Kent UK) Vê-lo às 19: 00hrs novamente !!

  6. Just had a photograph taken watching the Spacestation going over our house in Bolsover, Derbyshire, U.K. When we zoomed in we could see the structure, amazing !!! Our 3 year old nephew thinks Santa is on his way !! Have a pleasant flight and a safe return. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. Best wishes from the Hall family.

  7. It is great to see you are festive.
    Thanks for making lots of children ‘see Santa on his sleigh’ tonight.
    Take care and enjoy your festivities
    Mary

  8. Hi iss it was good to see you fly over United kingdom Leicestershire at around 17.22 to night loved it first time I ever seen you. Have a merry Christmas up there and make it a good one. Same go to nasa control on the ground MERRY CHRISTMAS 🙂

  9. If this works and gets to you all on the space station, which is not very likely.
    me and my three boys watched you fly over are heads around 5:20 pm bst. which made them not sleep tonight thinking you were Santa… We all thought it was very cool to see.. Which made me to look into who is up there.. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Hope you get what you want xx

  10. If this works and gets to you all on the space station, which is not very likely.
    me, my partner and my three boys watched you fly over are heads around 5:20 pm bst. which made them not sleep tonight thinking you were Santa… We all thought it was very cool to see.. Which made me to look into who is up there.. Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Hope you get what you want xx

  11. Thank you for sending the space station very close over my home in England, on 24th Dec. 2014. It was wonderful to see it. Nice to see you Christmas decorations hung up in the Space Station. Very Happy Christmas to you all.

  12. I understand this Christmas gag, but please dont forgett, there are billions of people world wide with different religions, and Space is for and from everyone, and this is International Space Station. and not Vatican Station.

    (I am not critizising the religion of my parents). Just an opinion.
    Hugs from Spain 😀

  13. We gave you a wave from the uk at 5.22pm 24th and 4.33pm 24th December.
    You were Santa’s sleigh!
    Merry Chrustmas

  14. I bet, that if you watch closely near the window, you will see Santa coming to town….i mean, to earth! Happy Christmas to you all!

  15. Merry christmas fron Palestine! Amazing to see the christmas spirit in space!

    By the way, please tell Barry that some of the christmas photos he took were of Palestine. More precisely the West Bank with Bethlehem etc. He embarrasingly named the wrong country. Not to worry, we cant all be good at everything 😉

  16. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to the crew Its really fun to see you at night fly over, What a great view of the auroras I’ll bet. Blessings to you All

  17. i wish mery christmas and a happy new year for all the hummanity here or in space.Special for the crew many successful missions for all of us.

  18. Happy New Year to all of the crew , and thank you . I hve just been listening to Chris Hadfield on the BBC’s Infinite Monkey Cage , and he spoke of the Space Station Christmas Tree , that its hung upside down , and there it is !!!! All the very best in the New Year to all the crews in Space and on Earth .

  19. Me gusta la ciencia las estrellas y quiero trabajar inbentando lo qud no se imbento encontrar lo que no se encontro.

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