How do astronauts celebrate Thanksgiving?

Even when orbiting high above the earth, during Thanksgiving, Americans in the International Space Station (ISS) long for the comforts of home.

Fortunately, the Space Food Research Facility at Texas A&M University creates Thanksgiving meals that can be enjoyed in space.

The scientists put the traditional Thanksgiving foods, such as sliced turkey, candied yams and fruit cobbler in MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) pouches. The pouches are heat sealed and sterilized, giving the food a very long shelf life.

The space station crew will heat up the food in an oven, and eat it out of the corner of the pouch.

In a video posted to NASA's YouTube, ISS Commander Shane Kimbrough shared the menu for this year's feast. Kimbrough and fellow American Peggy Whitson will share the traditional Thanksgiving meal with a French astronaut and three Russian cosmonauts.

Kimbrough will also seek the help of mission control for one more Thanksgiving tradition: "Of course, Thanksgiving, in my world, is not complete without some football, so we're going to have mission control send up some live football games for us to watch to complete the experience of Thanksgiving."