Does Santa Visit The Space Station? Astronauts Celebrate Christmas In Orbit

225 MILES ABOVE EARTH (CBS SF) -- You think YOUR house is crowded with house guests this season? NASA astronauts have been having Christmas dinner in a dining room the size of a Volkswagen for decades, and this season is no exception, although the International Space Station is far more spacious than the original Apollo capsule where one of the most famous Christmases in space was ever celebrated.

NASA's history office and spaceflight office are great at reminding America of what the Yuletide season looks like, from orbit, and beyond.

Perhaps the most powerful was the Apollo 8 reading of Genesis as the crew entered lunar orbit on Christmas Day, 1968

Apollo 8's Christmas Eve 1968 Message by NASA Video on YouTube

On the same mission came one of the most famous moments captured on film, this color "Earthrise" photo.

Today, space station astronauts have enough space to hang their stockings, hoping Santa will stop by.

Here's their holiday greeting to Earth:

Space Station Astronauts Say Merry Christmas and Thank You to the Troops by NASA Johnson on YouTube

And, if you want to send your own holiday greeting, you can share your well wishes with astronauts right here:
http://www.nasa.gov/content/holiday-greeting-iss/#.VJrtzsAKD

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.