How people spend an isolated Christmas in space, on submarines and in Antarctica – iNews

This Christmas might be the first that you find yourself unable to be where you want or with the people you want to celebrate with, but that doesnt mean it wont be festive. People who have spent Christmas in some of the most remote locations possible in space, on a submarine and on several isolated islands have spoken to i about how they captured the Christmas spirit when they were far from their loved ones.

Former Nasa astronaut Terry Virts, from Texas, spent Christmas on the International Space Station as a member of a six-person crew. He called his family, decorated the station, and exchanged gifts with the other astronauts.

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Field assistant Alex Dodds is about to spend her second Christmas on the British Antarctic Surveys research station on Bird Island, South Georgia. Every year, all the research bases in Antarctica exchange Christmas cards.

Retired captain Ryan Ramsey spent two Christmases submerged under the waves on a Royal Navy submarine, unable to speak to his family or see the sky for a month. He worried about missing Christmas at home in the build-up to the day, but afterwards he focused on next year instead.

Lauren Elliott spent last Christmas working at the UKs most remote post office, Port Lockroy, a snow-covered outpost on the Antarctic Peninsula, with thousands of honking penguins and just four other people for company. She was amazed by how somewhere so remote could be made to feel festive.

Ritualistic behaviour and traditions provide containment, which allow us to go back to our roots and make us feel connected to people at home says Dr Martina Paglia, a psychologist at the International Psychology Clinic.

Loneliness is a normal emotion to experience especially at Christmas time but you can lift your mood by allowing yourself to feel hope, she says.

There are reasons to have a positive outlook now, says Dr Paglia. The vaccine is being implemented across the country and the world. Keeping your mind positive affects mood. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish in 2021.

We got to celebrate Christmas 16 times, because we got 16 sunrises. Due to the international nature of the space station, holidays are frequently being celebrated. On Christmas Day, there wasnt a whole lot of scheduled activity, but Nasa makes you exercise to keep your body in shape, so I spent two hours using a treadmill, a bike and a weightlifting machine.

Afterwards, I spent a lot of time on the phone. The system is like a WhatsApp or FaceTime call, but its only available when the satellites in view, so it cuts off. People back home were always happy to get that phone call.

The space station is decorated with lights, Santa hats, stockings for each crew member and even a tiny Christmas tree, which all had to be secured with Velcro and duct tape. We ate irradiated turkey, dehydrated potatoes and cornbread dressing.

Some people planned ahead and launched presents, but I didnt think of that, so gave everyone beef jerky and chocolate. The Russians on the station gave me a harmonica. When they celebrated Christmas on 7 January, we watched a livestream of carols being performed in Russian churches.

Christmas happens in summer in the subantarctic wilds, so we have 24 hours of sunlight. The base gets decorated and we have an artificial tree its the only tree on Bird Island.

The island is home to albatrosses, fur seals, leopard seals, penguins, giant petrels and burrow-nesting birds. There are just four people three zoological field assistants and one station technician on the base from March- November, but it gets busier at Christmas, the middle of the albatrosses breeding season.

On the day, field work takes up most of our time. Once we have checked the albatrosses, we have a lunch with all the trimmings, mulled wine and mince pies.

We may be remote, but we still get post. Visiting ships deliver mail sacks from Stanley, Falkland Islands albeit infrequently throughout the year. Getting the mail is always a great morale boost. Its tradition for all the other countries Antarctic bases to send each other a Christmas card with a photo of everyone out in the snow, so we have those on display too.

Everyone is a long way from home, so everyone gets a timeslot to call our families. Well end the day watching a classic Christmas film together.

The Killer Hunter submarine left port for a month-long patrol on 21 December 2013 with 130 people on board. I had no way to contact my family for all the time I was at sea because the submarines have no internet connections.

Everyone on board worked in on and off shifts of six hours, even on Christmas Day. The day was marked though, with an alcohol-free dinner and presents from family that were brought aboard. There was no live television but the crew played board games.

It was difficult not being able to be with family on the day, but you enjoy what you have. For most, its simply a chance to have a good meal. You can celebrate properly when you get back.

There is some anxiety about missing the day in the build-up to it, but afterwards you focus on the next year being better.

I hoped I would receive better gifts the following year, too. I only brought one present onto the submarine, which was from my other half. I opened the parcel in the officers mess with everyone else. It was a nasal hair trimmer.

Ryan Ramsey has written a book called SSN14 HMS Turbulent and a second, Deep Pressure, which is released in the middle of next year.

Port Lockroy is home to the UKs most remote post office, run by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, on the first permanent British base to be established on theAntarctic Peninsula.

It is the most Christmassy place you can imagine, covered in snow, ice and penguins. We arrived in October and what amazed me was how quickly humans can make a random place homely and festive.

There were just five of us living permanently at Pock Lockroy on Christmas Day. We had to do all our normal jobs shovelling snow, counting the gentoo penguins but then we were able to borrow some kayaks and kayaked around the island.

All of our food was canned, but we managed to get some potatoes from a ship that came into the port, so we roasted them. People who had spent Christmas at the base in previous years sent us cards to open on the day.

Youd think it would be very peaceful there, but the penguins are so loud. After a while, though, the sound becomes normal, like the sound of traffic in a city.

Alongside running the post office and the museum for visiting cruise ship passengers, we had to conduct beach surveys, carry out maintenance of the buildings and monitor the penguins. Its such a simple way of living, with no running water and electricity from a solar panel. I would go back in a heartbeat.

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How people spend an isolated Christmas in space, on submarines and in Antarctica - iNews