As one of the original seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury in 1959, Wally Schirra became the fifth American and ninth human in space during the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission. But why stop at one?

Schirra hit the cosmic hat-trick, starring in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. During the Gemini mission, Wally and his buddy Thomas Stafford pulled off a festive prank that was out of this world. While orbiting Earth, Wally reported a UFO sighting (hint, hint, Santa Claus) and then whipped out a harmonica he’d smuggled on board for a spontaneous "Jingle Bells" performance, with Stafford jingling away on sleigh bells. In space, no one can hear you carol, but Schirra gave it a good go, logging a stellar 295 hours and 15 minutes up there.