Halloween aboard the International Space Station comes without door-to-door trick-or-treating, but astronauts have found creative ways to mark the holiday while living hundreds of miles above Earth.

NASA has shared photographs of crew members celebrating Halloween in orbit, showing astronauts wearing costumes, decorating parts of the station and finding ways to bring the familiar holiday spirit into their extraordinary surroundings.

The celebrations offer a brief break from the station’s demanding schedule of scientific experiments and operational duties. They also help crew members maintain a sense of connection with life on Earth while working in an environment unlike any other.

Costumes made for life in microgravity

Astronauts have celebrated Halloween individually and as teams, choosing outfits that range from spooky characters to imaginative designs.

With no costume shop aboard the orbiting laboratory, crew members often make use of materials already available on the station. The resulting outfits reflect the creativity required to celebrate a familiar holiday in an unconventional setting.

There are no ghouls, goblins or trick-or-treaters knocking at the station’s front hatch. Instead, astronauts create their own festivities, sometimes dressing up together and sharing the occasion with colleagues in orbit.

NASA’s photographs from previous years provide a visual record of these celebrations, capturing how different crews have adapted Halloween traditions to life aboard the ISS.

A holiday break aboard a scientific outpost

The festivities are a small part of life on a platform primarily dedicated to research. The International Space Station supports scientific investigations and helps develop the capabilities needed for future human exploration beyond Earth.

NASA continues to document the station’s work through photographs, stories and research updates, reflecting more than 25 years of continuous human presence in orbit.

The Halloween celebrations offer another glimpse into that long-running mission: alongside experiments and technical responsibilities, astronauts continue to observe cultural traditions that help make life in space feel a little more familiar.