A SpaceX rocket has delivered belated Thanksgiving treats to the International Space Station
- SpaceX brought a fresh haul of supplies to the International Space Station on Saturday.
- It provided new solar arrays and dwarf tomato seeds — and a range of Thanksgiving treats.
SpaceX launched its 26th resupply mission to the International Space Station on Saturday — transporting 7,700 pounds of materials, including an array of belated Thanksgiving treats.
The festive foodstuffs included ice cream, spicy green beans, cranberry and apple desserts, almond pumpkin pie, and candy corn, CBS News reported.
SpaceX's 215-foot Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was delayed due to stormy weather, meaning that the Thanksgiving feast arrived a few days late.
Alongside the treats, SpaceX also brought new solar arrays to boost the International Space Station's power supply, as well as several science experiments.
These include the "Moon Microscope", a tool for in-flight medical diagnosis, and "Falcon Goggles," which capture high-speed videos of astronauts' eye movements to assess the impact of microgravity on their wellbeing.
"Devices like this will be invaluable as we work toward preparing astronauts for long-duration exploration missions to the Moon and beyond to Mars," said Cherie Oubre, deputy flight scientist with NASA's human research program.
The Falcon 9's cargo also includes some dwarf tomato seeds, which will play an important role in ongoing efforts to grow fresh food in space.
As NASA looks to longer-term missions, including missions to Mars, "the typical pre-packaged astronaut diet" may need to be supplemented by fresh foods produced in space.
Astronauts have already successfully tested "Veggie" , a specialist plant growth unit onboard the space station.
They've grown and tasted an array of leafy greens. Now, they're looking to add fresh dwarf tomatoes — specifically, Red Robin tomatoes — to their space-grown diets.