December 18, 2020 Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency relaxes on board the International Space Station on December 25, 2014. NASA On December 25, 1968, the staff of mission control at NASA received confirmation of a long-rumored and hotly debated phenomenon. Over the crackle of a transmission coming from space on Christmas morning, astronaut Jim Lovell disclosed what must have been one of the most closely-kept space secrets of the entire program: “Roger, please be informed there is a Santa Claus.” Misers may doubt the veracity of Lovell’s ey...