Merry Christmas Astronauts
Dec 24, 2016
By Elizabeth Borja
In the early 1960s, the Project Mercury astronauts were celebrities in their own right, receiving bags of fan mail. One Christmas, Scott Carpenter received Christmas wishes featuring a model rocket, an American flag, and the sign, “Merry Christmas Astronauts.” Carpenter received a photo of the scene and a note that read: “Best wishes to Navy Lt. Malcolm S. Carpenter from Mrs. L. T. Burns…Wichita Falls, Texas.”
Nighttime view of electrically-lit landscape display featuring model three-stage rocket, American flag, and sign reading "Merry Christmas Astronauts"; circa 1962. Housed in presentation folder with the printed dedication, "Best wishes to Navy Lt. Malcolm S. Carpenter from Mrs. L. T. Burns...Wichita Falls, Texas."
If you were to send holiday wishes to today’s astronauts, what would you say?
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