NASA dismiss conspiracy theories amid Christmas photos of stranded astronauts

NASA has dismissed conspiracy theories that have been made amid the Christmas photos that were posted on social media of the stranded astronauts.

Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams have been stuck in space since June.

What was supposed to be an eight-day mission is looking like it’ll stretch over nine months and the pair spent their Christmas Day in orbit.

But that didn’t stop them from celebrating as a video was shared of them aboard the International Space Station (ISS) wearing Santa hats.

In the clip, Williams said: “Welcome to the International Space Station as we prepare for the Christmas holidays. It's a special time up here, and we get to celebrate with our space family.

“There are seven of us on board, so we'll be enjoying the festive season together.”

People took to social media to share their questions with the astronauts, with many of them speculating about how the Christmas decorations made it on board.

One user wrote: “Did you bring Christmas decorations months in advance?”

Another asked: “How did they know to pack decorations for what was supposed to be an 8-day mission?”

And a third person added: “Who delivered the Santa hats and decorations? Isn’t space in the capsule at a premium?”

However, NASA was quick to dismiss the growing conspiracy theories surrounding the Christmas decorations.

In a statement to the New York Post, the space agency explained that the decorations, festive meals and gifts were sent to the ISS in November as part of a SpaceX delivery.

This included items for a Christmas meal in space such as turkey, vegetables, pies and cookies, as well as a Christmas tree and Santa hats.

Wilmore and Williams have been stranded on the ISS after they experienced issues with their spacecraft during their launch in June.

Five of the Boeing Starliner’s maneuvering thrusters had reportedly stalled, with five helium leaks and a faulty propellant valve.

NASA deemed it too unsafe for the two astronauts to return to Earth on the spacecraft and instead they will need to wait until early next year when they will be picked up by SpaceX Crew-9.

This was initially meant to be in February but delays have since pushed it back to March at the earliest.

Concerns have been growing for the health of the pair as they continue to spend an extended period of time in space and recent images showed them reportedly appearing severely gaunt.