A Russian cosmonaut, Anna Kikina, spoke in a recent interview with DEA News about a long standing NASA tradition. The cake ceremony is a ritual that marks the end of the intensive training cycle and signals the crew preparing for a mission. This moment tends to set a celebratory tone before launch preparations begin in earnest.
According to Kikina, the cake ceremony features a large cake bearing the crew emblem. It is prepared with care and serves as a focal point for the gathering of experts and staff who support the mission, from simulator operators to the broader training team. The event gathers these contributors in a collective moment, acknowledging the extensive work that underpins the crew’s readiness for flight.
During the ceremony, cosmonauts and astronauts express appreciation to the specialists, technicians, and coaches who have trained them. They share conversation and cake in a relaxed, hopeful atmosphere that underscores the collaborative spirit of spaceflight preparation.
Commentary from NASA watchers includes notes that the United States space program has developed its own distinct rituals compared with Soviet and Russian traditions. Observers such as Tatyana Lind, a former NASA translator cited by socialbites.ca, describe how these practices reflect the evolving culture within NASA and its international collaborations.
Anna Kikina has been a prominent figure within the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps since 2016, representing the pioneering role of women in the program. Her involvement in the SIRIUS lunar flight simulation exercise in 2017 highlighted her participation in advanced international training initiatives that test and refine crew cooperation for lunar exploration scenarios.
Kikina’s first space mission unfolded in October of a given year, when she traveled to the International Space Station as a member of the SpaceX Crew-5 team aboard a Crew Dragon vehicle operated by SpaceX. She achieved a historic milestone as the first Russian cosmonaut to fly on this spacecraft. The mission extended over a lengthy period aboard the ISS, totaling more than four and a half months in orbit and contributing valuable experience to international crew operations and long duration spaceflight readiness.