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Apollo 8
On Christmas, 1968, a turbulent world looked to the heavens for a unique view of our home planet. This photo of "Earthrise" over the lunar horizon was taken by the Apollo 8 crew in December 1968, showing Earth for the first time as it appears from deep space.

Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders had become the first humans to leave Earth orbit, entering lunar orbit on Christmas Eve. In a historic live broadcast that night, the crew took turns reading from the Book of Genesis, closing with a holiday wish from Commander Borman: "We close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you -- all of you on the good Earth."

Mission Control Marks the Season
12.23.04
Flight control team in the Station (Blue) Flight Control Room in the Mission Control Center takes a brief break from duties to pose for a seasonal portrait. Later, flight controllers stood by to monitor the Kazakhstan launch of a Progress resupply vehicle, scheduled for a Dec. 25 arrival to the International Space Station.