Yes, you can see stars in space. Light is light. In our atmosphere, we have rising heat and certain turbulant conditions that make them twinkle. Now in space, one of the main reasons you will not see stars in space shots is because of the way photos are taken. Most images of Shuttle missions are taken by video. For stars to come up on a picture, you need time for light exposure. Astrophotographers here, need 5 to 10 minutes of exposure on the correct film to capture constellation stars or the Milky Way. In space, they move constantly, so taking a still photograph of stars is impractical. The hubble uses stablizers to track targets and also needs time for exposure. Astronauts have always described outer space as the most star filled "sky" they will ever see. Hope you don't lose out on too much on the bet.