WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Orbiting about 350 kilometers above the Earth, the crew of the International Space Station has sent home a special Thanksgiving message, broadcast on NASA TV on Wednesday.

"We wanted to say happy Thanksgiving. We feel particularly privileged and thankful to be up here on board the station this Thanksgiving," said Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson.

"We're looking forward to our activities this week. We have a busy week with space walks, and we hope that you also are having a great Thanksgiving," she said.

Flight Engineer Daniel Tani said "I'm thankful that I'm safely on the space station, conducting our mission successfully and having a great time doing it."

The astronauts showed some of the food for their holiday dinner, including shrimp cocktail, an astronaut favorite. Smoked turkey, cornbread dressing and "lots of hot sauce" are also on the menu.