# @nasa on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B9eribOJ5G5
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11734148-nasa-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/5b835afec4.jpg
- **Posted:** 2020-03-08T16:28:57.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** NASA (@NASA) — https://gondola.cc/NASA

## Caption

From blessings to breakfast – you don’t mess with spaceflight rituals. ⁣
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Whether you’re an athlete, a performer or an astronaut, one thing stays the same – traditions before the big day are taken seriously! Ever since Yuri Gagarin’s first Earth orbit in 1961, astronauts have been racking up rituals to perform before they rocket to space. ⁣
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A Russian tradition is for the astronauts and cosmonauts, plus their rocket, to receive a traditional blessing from a Russian Orthodox priest prior to their launch. During the Apollo days, astronauts ate a hearty breakfast of steak and eggs with their backup crew and the chief astronaut. In the Shuttle era, the crew had to beat their commander in a game of cards before being cleared for liftoff. ⁣
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We’re launching astronauts from American soil THIS YEAR for the first time in almost a decade, and we’ll need some new rituals. Comment a tradition you would add below! ⁣
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APPLY to #BeAnAstronaut →  link in bio. ⁣
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#Artemis #NASA #Tradition #GameTime #Astronaut ⁣#Explore

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 883,777
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 3,442

## Tags

nasa, tradition, gametime, explore, artemis, beanastronaut, astronaut

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