NASA celebrates Halloween, reminisces memories of 2018 expedition

As Halloween was celebrated across world on October 31, America’s premier ncy NASA has taken celebrations to a whole new level. Taking celebrations to , Instagram handle of NASA posted an im of astronauts aboard international station last year in -med Halloween costume. Russian cosmonaut Sergei Prokopev, European ncy astronaut Alex Gerst and NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor were in Instagram picture, posed for a Halloween photo on international station in 2018.

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Halloween Origins

Halloween is a holiday celebrated across world on October 31 every year. trition originated with ancient Celtic festival of Samhain in Europe when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated vember 1 as a time to hour all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of tritions of Samhain. evening before was kwn as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive garings, donning costumes and eating treats. 

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About Astronauts

Russian cosmonaut Prokopev h commanded Soyuz MS-09 flight which launched on June 6, 2018, from Baikonur Cosmodrome that transported three members of Expedition 56/57 crew to International Station. Alongside Prokopev were flight engineers Alexander Gerst, and Serena Auñón-Chancellor. It successfully docked at International Station on June 8, 2018, bringing Expedition 56 crew up to six members. Prokopev h also conducted a walk on December 11, 2018, to investigate a hole that h been found in Soyuz MS-09. 

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Alexander Gerst is a German European ncy (ESA) astronaut and geophysicist who was also a part of International Station Expedition 40/41 from May to vember 2014 before being inducted in Expedition 56/57. He holds record for most time in of any active ESA astronaut (362 days), succeeding Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli, and German ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter, who formally held record for longest time in for any active or retired ESA astronaut. 

A medical doctor-turned-astronaut, Auñón-Chancellor spent 197 days in onboard International Station (ISS) last year, performing research on various scientific experiments. In July 2009, she was selected from more than 3,500 candidates as one of 14 members of 20th NASA astronaut class. Serena gruated in vember 2011 from Astronaut Candidate Training, becoming second Hispanic woman to become a NASA astronaut.

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