國際空間站宇航員冰茶、火雞慶感恩節
Astronauts raised plastic cups of iced tea and toasted the Thanksgiving holiday before eating a traditional dinner of smoked turkey, cornbread dressing and candied yams at the international space station.
"To Thanksgiving. Wishing everyone on Earth, and off Earth, a good Thanksgiving," said Endeavour astronaut Donald Pettit, holding iced tea in a makeshift cup he had made from plastic covers of shuttle reference books.
Astronauts normally drink from pouches using straws, to prevent liquids from spilling out in weightlessness, but Pettit wanted to show that they could sip from cups.
The seven Endeavour astronauts and three space station crew members ate their Thanksgiving meal at the joined shuttle space station complex, 350km above Earth. They spent an off-duty morning in which they talked to friends and relatives on the ground or just looked out the window.
"Just that ability to look out the window and look down on this beautiful planet that we live on is a source of thanks that we all have," Endeavour commander Christopher Ferguson said during a series of television interviews.
Differing schedules and chores usually prevent shuttle and station crews to eat together. Crew members took several precautions for the meal - keeping fire extinguishers and gas masks in the dining area, for instance.
Despite the turkey with trimmings, astronaut Robert "Shane" Kimbrough said he still missed being with his family on the holiday.
"I think we're all ready to see our families," Kimbrough said.
感恩節當天，國際空間站裏“觥籌交錯”，幾名宇航員舉起塑料杯、共飲冰茶慶祝節日，之後他們還享用了一頓美味的感恩節大餐，菜譜包括薰火雞、平鍋玉米麪包和蜜汁洋芋等。
“奮進號”航天飛機宇航員唐納德•佩提特舉起盛有冰茶的塑料杯說：“大家感恩節快樂！祝願地球上和地球之外的所有人節日快樂！”他們用的塑料杯是唐納德臨時用太空飛船參考書的塑料封皮做的。
爲了防止液體在失重的環境下濺出，宇航員通常只能用吸管吮吸裝在袋中的飲料，但有了佩提特的這個新發明，宇航員們從此可以用杯子喝水了。
當天，“奮進號”的七名宇航員和國際空間站的三名工作人員在距離地面350公里的連接艙內共享感恩節大餐。當天早上，他們與遠在地球的家人和朋友通話，可能還欣賞了一下窗外的美景。
“奮進號”總指揮克利斯多夫•弗古森在電視採訪中說：“能有幸在此欣賞窗外的美景和我們美麗的星球，我們心中充滿了感激。”
由於作息安排不同，“奮進號”和國際空間站上的人員通常不能一起吃飯。但爲了慶祝感恩節，宇航員們採取了一些預防措施，比如將滅火器和防毒面具拿到用餐區。
儘管與同事們共享了火雞大餐，但宇航員羅伯特•尚•金姆博洛說他還是很想與家人共度感恩節。
他說：“我想我們早就盼望和家人團聚了。”
Vocabulary:
weightlessness:失重
