On December 16, 1965, an Air Force pilot named Thomas Stafford and a Navy pilot named Wally Schirra played the Christmas anthem ‘Jingle Bells’ on a harmonica and miniature sleigh bells just before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.
However, the song was performed not solely for peace on Earth and good will to men. No, the airman and sailor were bound together by the long military aviator tradition of trolling people on the ground.
For context: Stafford and Schirra had been sitting in a cramped space about the size of an economy-class airline seat for more than a day. They had just accomplished the first space rendezvous with their sister ship, Gemini 7, a maneuver that “required the most exacting pilot and computer control of a space vehicle yet attempted,” according to Smithsonian Magazine.
But any rivalry can be put to rest with a little Christmas spirit, especially when you’re isolated in the cold vacuum of space. And that, dear reader, is how the first song was ever performed live in outer space.
Media Release/Task&Purpose
