Christmas was first celebrated in space 54 years ago.
Back in 1968, the astronauts of the Apollo 8 lunar mission became the first people to celebrate Christmas in space. Since then, this tradition has been a very important part of the astronauts’ recreation, now on the ISS. The Daily Mail has collected the most interesting images in which you can see exactly how the crews of various space stations celebrated this holiday.
In 1968, the second manned spacecraft went to the moon as part of the Apollo 8 mission, with NASA’s James Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman on board. As a result of this flight, people were able to go into lunar orbit for the first time and show all the inhabitants of the Earth what their home planet looks like from the edge of the Moon.
This mission was also remembered for the fact that for the first time astronauts managed to celebrate Christmas in space. Frank Borman, during the festive connection with the Earth, described the Moon as huge, lonely and impregnable.
The first picture of the Earth from near-lunar orbit, taken by the astronauts of the Apollo 8 mission
Photo: NASA
Five years later, in 1973, people celebrated the first Christmas aboard the space station. Three members of the crew of the American Skylab station, Gerald Carr, William Pogue and Edward Gibson, in low Earth orbit, built a Christmas tree from the remains of food containers and decorated it with materials at hand.
Since then, the tradition of celebrating Christmas in space has continued for decades, with astronauts singing carols, exchanging gifts, decorating the now-defunct ISS with holiday socks for gifts, and watching Christmas movies to lift the spirits a few hundred kilometers above Earth.
The Daily Mail has collected the most interesting images in which you can see exactly how the crews of various space stations celebrated this holiday. The image below shows what the first Christmas tree in space looked like, created in 1973 by the crew of the first American space station, Skylab.
Three members of the crew of the American Skylab station, Gerald Carr, William Pogue and Edward Gibson, in low Earth orbit, built a Christmas tree from the remains of food containers and decorated it with materials at hand.
The very first Christmas tree in space, created in 1973 by the crew of the first American space station Skylab
Photo: NASA
The next picture shows the ISS crew celebrating Christmas in space in 2012. Astronauts seriously approached the decoration of the station and placed here, in addition to traditional holiday elements, a real Christmas tree. And NASA astronaut Kevin Ford even took a guitar into orbit with him and played it during the Christmas gathering.
NASA astronaut Kevin Ford even took a guitar into orbit with him and played it during the Christmas reunion
Photo: NASA
At Christmas, the ISS crew members always wear holiday hats, and because the astronauts are in zero gravity, the tips of the hats always stick up. The image below shows how the holiday was celebrated with an artificial Christmas tree in 2011.
At Christmas, the ISS crew members always wear festive hats, and since the astronauts are in zero gravity, the tips of the hats always stick up
Photo: NASA
In 2020, astronauts on the ISS created an amazing holiday atmosphere with the help of a projection of a burning fire in which ‘Christmas logs’ are burning. This tradition is widespread in Europe and the USA, and such a fire is lit in homes on Christmas Eve.
In 2020, astronauts on the ISS created an amazing holiday atmosphere with the help of a projection of a burning cell in which a ‘Christmas log’ burns
