Halloween Aboard the International Space Station

A male astronaut wearing a Superman costume in space station module.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano finally gets his wish to fly like Superman aboard the International Space Station during Expedition 37.

Although no ghouls, goblins, or trick-or-treaters come knocking at the International Space Station’s front hatch, crew members aboard the orbiting laboratory still like to get in the Halloween spirit. Whether individually or as an entire crew, they dress up in sometimes spooky, sometimes scary, but always creative costumes, often designed from materials available aboard the space station.

Take a look at how the station crews have celebrated in years past.

For Halloween 2009, the Expedition 21 crew shows off its costumes.

Expedition 21 NASA astronaut Nicole Stott shows off her Halloween costume.

A group of six astronauts wearing an assortment of costumes pose in a space station module. — In 2017, Expedition 53 crew members show off their Halloween costumes.

Flight Engineer Sergei Prokopyev of Roscosmos, dressed as Elvis Presley, Commander Alexander Gerst of ESA as Darth Vader, and Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA as a mad scientist, pose for a Halloween photo inside the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module pressurized module aboard the space station during Expedition 57.

Members of Expedition 61, NASA astronaut Christina H. Koch, top left, European Space Agency astronaut Luca S. Parmitano, NASA astronaut Andrew R. “Drew” Morgan, and NASA astronaut Jessica U. Meir, show off their Halloween spirit in 2019 — Members of Expedition 61, NASA astronaut Christina Koch, top left, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, and NASA astronauts Andrew “Drew” Morgan, and Jessica Meir, show off their Halloween spirit in 2019.

Expedition 66 crewmembers NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, left, Thomas Pesquet of ESA, Akihiko Hoshide of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei show off their Halloween cards.

In 2022, Expedition 68 astronauts Koichi Wakata of JAXA, left, and NASA astronauts Francisco “Frank” Rubio, Nicole Mann, and Josh Cassada dressed as popular video game and cartoon characters, using stowage containers in their Halloween costumes and holding improvised trick-or-treat bags.

Expedition 70 astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA, left, Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA, NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, and ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen celebrate Halloween 2023.

Three astronauts wearing costumes float in a space station module. — A trio of Expedition 73 astronauts dressed for Halloween in 2025.

Follow the astronauts aboard the space station to see how they celebrate holidays in space.

The space station remains a vital scientific platform, providing the foundation needed to survive and thrive as humanity ventures into the unexplored territories of our universe.

Explore stories, images, and research from more than 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the space station.

https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/iss25