A Unique Celebration of Hope and Resilience in Space and on Earth
As the clock ticks into 2025, the International Space Station (ISS) offers a perspective on New Year’s unlike any other. The Expedition 72 crew orbits Earth at 17,500 miles per hour. They experience 16 sunrises and sunsets as they usher in the new year.
The ISS crew, operating on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), marked the start of their celebrations at 7 p.m. EST. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were far from Earth’s iconic Times Square festivities. They still sent heartfelt wishes to their home planet. Wilmore demonstrated a floating orange ball. This was their zero-gravity take on the New Year’s Eve ball drop. It brought smiles to Earth-bound viewers.
“We’d love to be there with you in Times Square to watch the ball drop,” Wilmore shared. He added with humor, “Our ball doesn’t drop. It just stays in place.” Don Pettit, his fellow astronaut, talked about the strong connections made aboard the station. He stated, “While we’re separated from family and friends, our crew becomes our family.”
For Wilmore and Williams, the journey has been far from ordinary. Their stay aboard the ISS, originally planned for eight days, extended after their Boeing Starliner craft malfunctioned last summer. The astronauts will return in March aboard a SpaceX capsule. They have embraced the challenges of extended space travel with resilience and optimism.
Their message is clear: even when faced with unforeseen circumstances, hope and connection can transcend distance. As they orbit the Earth, their voices echo a universal sentiment. They wish for peace, unity, and brighter horizons in the year ahead.
Here’s to a New Year filled with innovation, perseverance, and the unyielding spirit of exploration—on Earth and beyond.
Source:
- https://youtu.be/i4Ma96kUqvg?si=nwR47Ojsj3RToLWl
- https://nypost.com/2024/12/31/science/iss-astronauts-celebrate-new-years-16-times/
- https://chatgpt.com/
- https://readloud.net/
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