The SIRIUS-2023 crew is preparing to celebrate the New Year in “lunar orbit”

Testers make New Year's toys from scrap materials, design posters and write congratulations

The SIRIUS-23 crew is actively preparing for the New Year. MK was told about how this happens at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where an experiment is taking place on the year-long isolation of six volunteers simulating a flight to the Moon.

Ksenia Shishenina and Olga Mastitskaya make snowflakes from chocolate foil and canned food lids. Photo courtesy of IBMP RAS

Since the “cosmonauts” recently received a cargo with a New Year tree, cards and other holiday symbols, now it is time to prepare for the celebration of the New Year and Christmas on the ship. The crew members, four of whom are representatives of the fair sex, actively began making snowflakes and Christmas tree decorations from scrap materials. For example, Ksenia Orlova and Olga Mastitskaya demonstrated that they can make them from anything, even from chocolate foil and canned food lids. The tree, by the way, is already decorated.

New Year tree with gifts, decorated by participants of the SIRIUS-23 experiment

In addition, the entire crew took part in the design of the holiday poster. The crew members were also pleased with the hippeastrum (Christmas star) grown in the “spaceship” greenhouse, which has already bloomed.