The 'UFO' Reported by Gemini 6
Days before Christmas 1965, two astronauts in orbit reported an unidentified object heading north, piloted by someone in a red suit. Then they started playing music.
What was reported
On 16 December 1965, near the end of their mission, the Gemini 6A astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford radioed Mission Control with an urgent-sounding report. They had spotted an object, they said, like a satellite, in a polar orbit, going from north to south, and it looked like it might be about to re-enter.
They described a large command module with eight smaller modules in front, and said its pilot was wearing a red suit. Then the sound of 'Jingle Bells' came over the radio, played on a harmonica and small bells they had smuggled aboard.
Explanations offered
It was a Christmas prank, describing Santa's sleigh and reindeer, and the first music played in space. The harmonica and bells are now in the Smithsonian. Some UFO lists still include the 'sighting' without the punchline.
- When
- 16 December 1965
- Where
- In orbit, aboard Gemini 6A
- Witnesses
- Wally Schirra, Tom Stafford and Mission Control
- Status
- A joke
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.