Nasa’s latest holiday video has turned heads—not just for its festive cheer but for the gravity-defying questions it has raised online. The video, shared on Tuesday, features astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) wearing Santa hats and posing beside a small Christmas tree. The sight of these unexpected holiday items floating in zero gravity has fueled conspiracy theories across social media.
Christmas in zero weight
Sunita Williams, an astronomer, is seen in the movie donning Santa hats while wearing a dark top. A little Christmas tree completes the scene, which naturally floats in space’s weightlessness. Williams shared her happiness, saying,” It’s a great time up here. We get to spend it on the International Space Station with all of our “familiars.” She continued,” One of the best things about Christmas is the excitement and all coming together to plan for the holiday.”
But, it wasn’t just the holiday spirit that captivated audiences. Zero gravity’s festive decorations soon piqued people’s attention.
Social internet asks: how did the caps get it?
When the pilots first set out for an eight-day objective in June, some people questioned how the products made it into space. ” Did they bottle Santa clothes for an eight-day vision, or are they knitting them up it”? one person on X asked.
Some people doubted the video’s integrity, claiming that it might have been shot in a theater. One writer joked,” Where’d they find the Christmas suit? This feels like the Space Station type of Gilligan’s Island”. Another quipped,” Think dealing with oak knives in zero gravity”!
Some people made the speculative assumption that the longer vision might not be what it seems. ” Is this even true? Are they still stuck off it, or is it all a great show”?
” It’s all one big show”, wrote one commenter. Another person on X claimed that a movie studio was where the pilots were floating in space.
Nasa listens
In response to the website rumors, NASA confirmed that a SpaceX delivery in late November delivered the festive products to the ISS. The three-ton supply included not only trip essentials—Santa hats, a Christmas tree, and colorful food—but even common mission supplies and medical equipment. NASA explained that the more cargo area on the spacecraft made for these unexpected gravity-defying upsets.
Due to technical problems with their Boeing Starliner capsules, pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose eight-day goal began in June, continue to travel on the ISS. The aircraft, which returned to Earth autonomous in September, suffered thruster problems caused by leakage. Due to this, their return has been postponed until March 2024, with the explorers intending to return home using a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsules.
