ISS20th: Celebrating Birthdays on Station

So far, astronauts and cosmonauts have celebrated 81 birthdays aboard the International Space Station (ISS) — an average of about four per year since human occupancy began in November 2000. As crew members have made repeat flights to the station, a number have celebrated more than one birthday in space (the record now stands at four). In addition to celebrating their own special days traveling in space, station crew members participate remotely in the anniversary festivities of their ground-based loved ones, co-workers, celebrities, historical figures, pets and even organizations from their outpost in low-Earth orbit. 

Prior to space station, dozens more astronauts and cosmonauts celebrated their special day in orbit — mostly aboard Soviet and Russian space stations, since the first event in 1971. Space limitations don’t allow featuring every space-based birthday, and some were more private events, but we provide a healthy and happy sample of celebrations through the years.

The first person to celebrate a birthday in space was Soviet cosmonaut Viktor I. Patsayev, who turned 38 on June 19, 1971, during his 24-day mission aboard the world’s first experimental space station, Salyut.  The first American astronaut to celebrate his birthday in space was Charles “Pete” Conrad, when he turned 43 aboard the Skylab 1 space station on June 2, 1973. Richard H. Truly became the first space shuttle astronaut to celebrate a birthday in space when STS-2 launched on his 44th birthday on Nov. 12, 1981. Quite the birthday candle!

Left: Viktor Patsayev aboard Salyut. Middle: Pete Conrad aboard Skylab. Right: Richard Truly with an oversized birthday card prior to his launch on STS-2. Image Credits: NASA

Janet L. Kavandi, the first woman to celebrate a birthday in space, has the distinction of having the first birthday on space station, too, on July 17, 2001. Kavandi, a crew member aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-104 mission, celebrated the event on the day her crewmates Michael L. Gernhardt and James F. Reilly conducted their second spacewalk of the mission to install the Quest airlock onto station. Her orbital birthday cake consisted of a lit penlite stuck in a brownie. Expedition 4 Commander Yuri I. Onufriyenko holds the distinction as the first long-duration crew member to celebrate a birthday aboard the space station on Feb. 6, 2002, while Expedition 6 Science Office Don Pettit holds that honor as the first American long-duration crew member to celebrate his birthday aboard station on April 20, 2003.    

Left: Janet Kavandi celebrates her birthday during STS-104 while docked to station. Middle: Yuri Onufriyenko was the first long-duration crew member to celebrate a birthday on station during Expedition 4. Right: Don Pettit was the first American long-duration crew member to celebrate a birthday on station during Expedition 6. Image Credits: NASA

Expedition 7 Science Officer Ed T. Lu considers Honolulu, Hawaii, his hometown. In honor of his 40th birthday on July 1, 2003, which he celebrated aboard station with his crewmate Yuri I. Malenchenko, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle proclaimed that day as “Edward Tsang Lu Day” in his home state. Knowing of his fondness for Hawaiian aloha shirts, Malenchenko, as well as personnel in mission control in Houston, wore the colorful shirts to help Lu celebrate his birthday.

Left: Ed Lu wears a Hawaiian aloha shirt during Expedition 7. Right: Personnel in mission control wear aloha shirts in honor of Lu’s birthday. Image Credits: NASA

For his 54th birthday on April 15, 2005, Expedition 11 Flight Engineer and ISS Science Officer John L. Phillips received a warm sendoff from his family at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as he and his crewmates launched to the orbiting laboratory — undoubtedly the most memorable birthday candle Phillips had ever enjoyed!

Left: The family of John Phillips provide a birthday sendoff on his launch day. Right: A triple celebration aboard station during Expedition 20 — Gennadi Padalka’s (at center) birthday, Father’s Day and Koichi Wakata’s (above Padalka) 100th day in orbit; Roman Romanenko, Frank DeWinne and Michael Barratt are also in the photo taken by Robert Thirsk. Image Credits: NASA

As Commander of Expedition 20, Gennadi I. Padalka helped initiate six-person crew operations aboard station, significantly increasing crew time available for research. Uniquely, Expedition 20 included crew members from all five ISS partners: Padalka and Roman Y. Romanenko from Russia; Michael R. Barratt from NASA; Robert B. Thirsk from Canada; Frank L. DeWinne from ESA (European Space Agency); and Koichi Wakata from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. On June 21, 2009, Padalka turned 51, and his five crewmates helped him celebrate his second of four birthdays aboard the space station, the most of anyone to date. In addition, all six crew members celebrated Father’s Day, which fell on the same day and Wakata’s 100th day in space.

Left: Sign in mission control honors Smokey the Bear’s 68th birthday. Middle: Michael Fossum gives Smokey the Bear a tour in mission control. Right: Joe Acaba with a plush Smokey the Bear sends birthday greetings from the cupola. Image Credits: NASA

The day he arrived on space station on May 17, 2012, as a member of Expedition 32, also happened to be astronaut Joseph M. “Joe” Acaba’s 45th birthday — and what a way to celebrate! Less than three months later, on Aug. 9, Acaba helped to honor the 68th birthday of an iconic American figure, Smokey the Bear. NASA helped the U.S. Forest Service and the Texas State Forest Service celebrate Smokey’s birthday, which included a visit by the fire prevention spokesperson (spokesbear?) to mission control, with astronaut Michael E. Fossum providing a personal tour and Acaba beaming down a congratulatory message, a plush version of Smokey floating behind Acaba in the cupola.

Left: Suni Williams (left) with Yuri Malenchenko and Akihiko Hoshide in pirate garb. Middle: Williams during video downlink with her family. Right: Williams celebrates her dog Gorby’s birthday with crewmates Malenchenko, Sergei Revin, Gennadi Padalka and Hoshide, with Acaba taking the photo.

Astronaut Sunita L. Williams celebrated her birthday aboard station on Sept. 19, 2012, coinciding with International Talk Like a Pirate Day. As commander of Expedition 33, she “ordered” crewmates Yuri I. Malenchenko and Akihiko Hoshide to join her in dressing as pirates. For dinner that evening, they shared lobster, saag paneer, yakatori, Japanese bacon/pork in sauce and good luck Japanese rice with red beans, and via a video downlink with family members on the ground, Williams virtually blew out candles on a birthday cake. Six days earlier, Williams and her crewmates celebrated her Jack Russell terrier Gorby’s 11th birthday.

Left: Pavel Vinogradov (at center, wearing bow tie), flanked by crewmates Fyodor Yurchikhin and Alexander Misurkin. Right: Several of Vinogradov’s crewmates (top left to bottom right, Chris Cassidy, Misurkin, Karen Nyberg and Luca Parmitano) recorded birthday wishes for him. Image Credits: NASA

Expedition 36 Commander Pavel V. Vinogradov celebrated his 60th birthday aboard the space station on Aug. 21, 2013 — the oldest person to celebrate such an occasion in space. He had previously celebrated two other birthdays in orbit, in 1997 aboard Mir and in 2006 aboard station. Vinogradov’s crewmates —Christopher J. Cassidy, Alexander A. Misurkin, Karen L. Nyberg and Luca S. Parmitano — recorded birthday wishes for him in three languages, while Misurkin and crewmate Fyodor N. Yurchikhin joined him in a video downlink celebration. 

Left: Anton Shkaplerov (left) and Terry Virts (right) help Samantha Cristoforetti celebrate her birthday.  Right: Cristoforetti reads from Dante’s “Paradiso” in honor of the writer’s 750th anniversary. Image Credits: NASA

In celebration of the 750th anniversary of Italian writer Dante’s birth, ESA’s Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti read from the first canto of “Paradiso” during a transmission from station. The reading (in Italian) was aired at the Odeon Cinema in Florence, Italy, on April 24, 2015. Cristoforetti celebrated her own birthday aboard the orbiting laboratory two days later with her crewmates Terry W. Virts, Anton N. Shkaplerov, Scott J. Kelly, Mikhail B. Korniyenko and Gennadi I. Padalka.

Left: Scott Kelly, dressed in a gorilla suit, emerges from the stowage bag. Right: Kelly, in gorilla suit, chases Timothy Peake through Destiny. Image Credits: NASA

To surprise astronaut Scott J. Kelly for his Feb. 21, 2016, birthday during his one-year mission, his twin brother, astronaut Mark E. Kelly, arranged for the delivery of a life-sized gorilla costume to the station.  In addition to some mild-mannered shenanigans while wearing the gorilla costume that he posted to social media, such as chasing fellow Expedition 46 crew member Timothy N. Peake through the Destiny module, Kelly also recorded some educational videos dressed in the non-standard garb.

Left: Thomas Pesquet (left) celebrates his birthday with crewmate Oleg Novitsky. Right: Pesquet displays the saxophone gifted to him by his crewmates. Image Credits: NASA

ESA’s French astronaut Thomas G. Pesquet is an accomplished musician, especially fond of playing the saxophone. His Expedition 50 crewmates — Shane Kimbrough, Andrei I. Borisenko, Sergei N. Ryzhikov, Peggy A. Whitson and Oleg V. Novitsky — arranged to have an alto saxophone delivered to the outpost.  They kept the saxophone hidden aboard station and, to Pesquet’s great delight and amazement, presented it to him on his birthday on Feb. 27, 2017. Pesquet then entertained his crewmates and ground controllers with his musical talents.

Left: Nick Hague with a decorated birthday orange. Middle: Hague (left) assisted by Parmitano to celebrate his birthday. Right: Parmitano (middle) celebrates his birthday with his crewmates. Image Credits: NASA

With regard to birthdays, the week of Sep. 22, 2019, was a busy one aboard station for the Expedition 60 crew. On Sept. 25, NASA astronaut T. Nick Hague celebrated his 44th birthday; two days later it was ESA astronaut Luca S. Parmitano’s 43rd (and second aboard station); followed the next day by Russian cosmonaut Aleksei N. Ovchinin’s 48th. The crew decorated an orange with letters spelling out HAPPY BIRTHDAY, but also had cake with chocolate frosting decorated with candy-coated chocolates.

Left: Kjell Lindgren poses with a Colorado flag in the cupola. Right: Jeffrey Williams’ message is projected onto a wall during the 40th anniversary celebration of the National Air and Space Museum. Image Credits: NASA

When not celebrating their own birthdays, station crew members enjoy recognizing other anniversaries.  Expedition 44 Flight Engineer Kjell N. Lindgren received a master’s degree and doctorate in medicine from universities in Colorado and celebrated the 139th anniversary of that state’s entry into the Union on Aug. 1, 2015. Expedition 48 Commander Jeffrey N. Williams beamed down a greeting to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2016.

Left: Timothy Peake with birthday wishes for Queen Elizabeth II. Middle: David Saint-Jacques’ card for Albert Einstein. Right: Oleg Kononenko (left) and Aleksei Ovchinin with signs on their Orlan spacesuits and a painting of Aleksei Leonov. Image Credits: NASA

During Expedition 47, the United Kingdom’s first long-duration astronaut, Timothy N. Peake, helped celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday on April 21, 2016, by posing in the cupola with a hand-written “Happy Birthday” sign, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “Science is Great Britain.” Canadian Space Agency astronaut and Expedition 58 Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques commemorated the 140th anniversary of the birth of Nobel-Prize-winning scientist Albert Einstein on Pi Day, March 14, 2019. To honor Aleksei A. Leonov, the first person to conduct a spacewalk, on his 85th birthday (May 30, 2019), Expedition 59 cosmonauts Oleg D. Kononenko and Aleksei N. Ovchinin attached signs to the backs of their Orlan suits for their own spacewalk the previous day. Kononenko’s sign read “Leonov Number 1,” and Ovchinin’s “Happy Birthday, Aleksei Arkhipovich,” in Russian.

Left: For Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Dan Tani’s birthday, controllers gathered around a golf-cart-shaped cake. Middle: During Expedition 56, Drew Feustel’s wife brought a cake to mission control in honor of his birthday. Right: Chocolate cake aboard station during September 2019 birthdays. Image Credits: NASA

While cake is a staple at ground-based birthday celebrations, in weightlessness cake generates crumbs that can float around the cabin, which risks inhalation by the crew members and equipment damage.  Family members and colleagues often join in the celebrations by bringing birthday cake to mission control and having virtual parties with the crews aboard the orbiting laboratory. For example, during Expedition 16, controllers baked a golf-cart-shaped birthday cake for Daniel M. Tani’s birthday on Feb. 1, 2008, and during Expedition 56, for Andrew J. “Drew” Feustel’s birthday on Aug. 25, 2018, his wife Indira brought a cake to mission control and enjoyed a celebration via a two-way video conference. For the triple birthday celebrations in September 2019, the crew members treated themselves to chocolate-iced cake with candy-coated chocolates as decoration. Birthday candles, however, are strictly forbidden within the outpost.

Left: Expedition 18 crew members (left to right) Yuri Lonchakov, Michael Fincke and Gregory Chamitoff record a greeting in honor of the 10th anniversary of station in 2008. Right: Expedition 57 crew members (left to right) Sergei Prokopyev, Alexander Gerst and Serena Auñón-Chancellor record a greeting in honor of the 20th anniversary of station in 2018. Image Credits: NASA

And finally, astronauts and cosmonauts aboard station celebrated the anniversaries of the unique platform aboard which they live and work. In November 2008, 10 years after the launch of the first element, the Zarya module, Expedition 18 crew members C. Michael Fincke, Yuri V. Lonchakov and Gregory E. Chamitoff recorded a message for the event. In November 2018, Expedition 57 crew members Alexander Gerst, Sergei V. Prokopyev and Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor reflected on the significance of the space station on its 20th anniversary.