National Treasure: When Gemini VI Got Into the Christmas Spirit

During the 1965 Gemini VI space mission, astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford pulled off one of NASA’s most memorable pranks. After radioing Mission Control about a mysterious unidentified spacecraft flown by someone in a red suit, they played “Jingle Bells” on a smuggled harmonica and bells—the first live musical performance from space. ___ A little more information: The Soviet Union had scored early victories in the space race with Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin, but by late 1965, the United States was gaining momentum on its path to putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. NASA’s Gemini missions focused on the technological advances and skills needed to reach that goal: rendezvous, docking, long-duration flight and precise re-entry. Led by astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford, Gemini VI successfully launched on December 15, 1965—and met its counterpart, Gemini VII, in orbit. It was the first true space rendezvous: two spacecraft maneuvering within inches of each other. In an otherwise tense mission, Gemini VI supplied a welcome dose of levity. As the mission neared completion, Schirra radioed a startling report to Mission Control: a mysterious, fast-moving object resembling a command module—piloted by someone in a red suit. After a dramatic pause, Schirra and Stafford broke into a spirited performance of “Jingle Bells,” played on a tiny harmonica and a pair of smuggled sleigh bells. It was the first music ever performed in space—and a perfectly timed holiday prank. #geminivi #jinglebells #nasa #spacerace #santaclaus #holidays #apollo Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@SmithsonianMagazine The day two astronauts said they saw a UFO wearing a red suit: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/day-two-astronauts-said-they-saw-ufo-santa-suit-109444898/ Forgotten photos show the human face of NASA’s early astronaut program: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/ghosts-of-gemini-159164462/ How the United States and the Soviet Union made unsuccessful attempts to collaborate during the space race: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-books/2025/06/12/how-the-us-and-the-soviet-union-made-unsuccessful-attempts-to-collaborate-during-the-space-race/ How NASA marketed its space program with fantastical depictions of the future: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/nasa-marketed-moon-future-180975781/ For more videos from Smithsonian magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/original-series/ Get more Smithsonian magazine: Official site: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smithsonianmagazine/ X: https://x.com/smithsonianmag Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SmithsonianMagazine/ Executive Producers: Nicki Marko & Brian Wolly Supervising Producer & Scriptwriter: Michelle Mehrtens Producer & Editor: Sierra Theobald Motion Designer: Ricardo Jaimes Narrator: Adam Benavides