Overview
- A Soyuz MS-28 launched from Baikonur at 4:27 a.m. EST on a three-hour profile, docked, and its crew entered the station around 10:10 a.m., raising the onboard complement to ten.
- The crew observed an off-duty Thanksgiving meal featuring items from NASA’s “Holiday BOB” resupply, including clams, oysters, crab meat, quail, and smoked salmon.
- Traditional staples such as turkey, mashed potatoes, and lobster were packaged by NASA’s food lab to prevent crumbs and mess in microgravity.
- NASA astronaut Mike Fincke highlighted a can of cranberry sauce supplied via the Russian space agency as a favorite holiday item.
- Japan’s Kimiya Yui noted the station’s culture of mutual respect as U.S., Russian, and Japanese members shared the meal, with observers emphasizing the morale benefits of such rituals.