First christmas in space : Apollo 8

December 25, 2017

Astronauts have celebrated Christmas in space since the first manned mission to the moon, Apollo 8, in 1968. Nowadays, astronauts on board the International Space Station can record video messages, talk with their family and friends on the ground and have their own holiday parties in orbit. But the first Christmas humans spent in space was a little different. Mission controllers reminded the astronauts that millions of Americans would be tuning in to watch and listen to the words of the first people ever to orbit another world.

Lovell explained the team's reasoning. "The first 10 verses of Genesis is the foundation of many of the world's religions, not just the Christian religion," Lovell said. The crewmembers ended the message by wishing everyone "on the good Earth" a Merry Christmas. The Apollo 8 crew never touched down on Earth's nearest neighbor.

The astronauts entered the moon's orbit on Dec. 21, 1968, and circled the moon 10 times on Christmas Eve, taking the iconic "Earthrise" photo on that day. After the Christmas Eve orbits, it was time for the team to return to Earth. The crew splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on Dec.

After Apollo 8, astronauts next celebrated Christmas in space on board Skylab, the first U.S. space station, which hosted astronauts on three missions from 1973 through 1974. Now, crewmembers of the International Space Station celebrate with Christmas decorations, phone calls to Earth and some special holiday food.

If you like Apollo, you may want to browse our flown to the moon artifacts