This Week In Space History (12/21 - 12/27)

This Week in Space History: Moon Orbits, Venus Landings, and Rocket Revolutions (12/22 – 12/27)
As the year winds down, the history of space exploration only heats up. This week marks some of the most iconic "firsts" in human history—from the first time humans looked back at an "Earthrise" to the moment we proved rockets could finally come back home.
Here is what happened this week in the stars.
December 22
 * 2015: SpaceX Sticks the Landing
   Just a decade ago, the idea of a rocket landing vertically was science fiction. On December 22, 2015, SpaceX changed the industry forever. After launching 11 satellites into orbit, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster returned to Cape Canaveral and touched down successfully at Landing Zone 1. It was the first time an orbital-class rocket stage had ever been recovered after a launch, paving the way for the era of reusable spaceflight.
 * 1966: The HL-10 Lifting Body Takes Flight
   NASA’s "wingless" aircraft, the HL-10, made its first glide flight. This research was critical in proving that a vehicle could glide to a landing from space, directly influencing the design of the Space Shuttle.
December 24 (Christmas Eve)
 * 1968: The Most Famous Broadcast in History
   While orbiting the Moon, the crew of Apollo 8 (Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders) held a live television broadcast. They read the first ten verses of Genesis as they looked down at the lunar surface and out at the distant Earth. At the time, it was the most-watched TV program in history.
 * 1968: Earthrise
   On this day, Bill Anders snapped the "Earthrise" photo—a vibrant blue Earth peeking over the desolate lunar horizon. It remains one of the most influential environmental photographs ever taken.
 * 1979: Europe Enters the Game
   The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched the first Ariane 1 rocket from French Guiana. This established Europe as a major player in the commercial satellite launch market.
December 25 (Christmas Day)
 * 1978: A Soviet Christmas on Venus
   The Soviet Venera 11 lander touched down on the surface of Venus. It survived for 95 minutes in the planet's crushing 90-atmosphere pressure and scorching 860°F (460°C) heat, sending back data about the chemical composition of the Venusian atmosphere.
 * 2021: The Ultimate Christmas Gift
   The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched atop an Ariane 5 rocket. This $10 billion "golden eye" is now orbiting 1.5 million kilometers away, peering back to the very beginning of time.
December 27
 * 1968: Coming Home
   After six days that changed humanity's perspective on the universe, Apollo 8 splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. The mission proved that the Saturn V rocket could send humans to the Moon and bring them back, setting the stage for Neil Armstrong’s "one small step" just seven months later.
 * 1999: Hubble’s Holiday Tune-Up
   Space Shuttle Discovery returned to Earth after the STS-103 servicing mission. The crew spent their Christmas holiday in orbit, installing new gyroscopes and a more advanced computer on the Hubble Space Telescope to keep it operational for the new millennium.
> "We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth." — Bill Anders, Apollo 8