Skylab 2

Occurred 51 years ago

The first crew to the Skylab space station, launched on May 25, 1973, had an added responsibility for their mission: save Skylab!

Mission Type

Space Station

crew

Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr., Joseph P. Kerwin, Paul J. Weitz

Launch

May 25, 1973

Landing

June 22, 1973

Skylab 2 prime crew poses in front of the Skylab/Saturn V rocket at Kennedy Space Center — S73-25902 (4 May 1973) — The three prime crew members of the first manned Skylab mission (Skylab 2) are photographed at Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, during preflight activity. They are, left to right, astronaut Paul J. Weitz, pilot; astronaut Charles Conrad Jr., commander; and scientist-astronaut Joseph P. Kerwin, science pilot. In the background is the Skylab 1/Saturn V space vehicle with its Skylab space station payload on Pad A. Photo credit: NASA
NASA

Pete Conrad smiles for the camera while in the Skylab shower — Astronaut Charles Conrad, Jr., Skylab-2 (SL-2) commander, smiles happily for the camera after a hot bath in the shower in the crew quarters of the Orbital Workshop of the Skylab space station. In deploying the shower facility, the shower curtain was pulled up from the floor and attached to the ceiling. The water came through a push button shower head attached to a flexible hose. Water was drawn off by a vacuum system.
NASA

The Saturn V vehicle, carrying the unmanned orbital workshop for the Skylab-1 mission, lifted off successfully and all systems performed normally. Sixty-three seconds into the flight, engineers in the operation support and control center saw an unexpected telemetry indication that signaled that damages occurred on one solar array and the micrometeoroid shield during the launch. The micrometeoroid shield, a thin protective cylinder surrounding the workshop protecting it from tiny space particles and the sun’s scorching heat, ripped loose from its position around the workshop. This caused the loss of one solar wing and jammed the other. Still unoccupied, the Skylab was stricken with the loss of the heat shield and sunlight beat mercilessly on the lab’s sensitive skin. Internal temperatures soared, rendering the station uninhabitable, threatening foods, medicines, films, and experiments. This image shows astronaut Kerwin cutting the metal strap to free and deploy the Orbital Workshop solar array. Kerwin used special cutting tools developed by engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The MSFC had a major role in developing the procedures to repair the damaged Skylab.
NASA

Skylab with its parasol sunshade is seen against the darkness of space by the Skylab 2 crew as it departs for Earth. — This image of Skylab in orbit was taken by the Skylab-2 crew before departing for Earth. The crew made a careful visual and photographic inspection of the orbiting laboratory. It shows the parasol sunshade, deployed by the crew, protecting the workshop. While unmarned, it operated at reduced power with many of its systems either inoperative or operating at reduced capacity.
NASA

Charles “Pete” Conrad, Jr.

Mission Commander

In September of 1962, Mr. Conrad was selected as an astronaut by NASA. His first flight was Gemini V, which established the space endurance record and placed the United States in the lead for man-hours in space. As commander of Gemini XI, Mr. Conrad helped to set a world’s altitude record. He then served as commander of Apollo XII, the second lunar landing. On Conrad’s final mission, he served as commander of Skylab 2.

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Astronaut Pete Conrad prepares for launch at Kennedy Space Center

Pete Conrad suits up for his flight to Skylab on May 25, 1973.

NASA

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Space Stations

Skylab

In 1973 and 1974, NASA pushed the boundaries of long-duration human space missions with Skylab, America’s first space station. With three crews performing hundreds of science experiments and unprecedented observations of the Earth and the Sun, Skylab laid the foundations for the space science program on the International Space Station and for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

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This artist’s concept from 1972 is a cutaway illustration of Skylab with the Command/Service Module docked to the Multiple Docking Adapter. Established in 1970, the Skylab Program’s goals were to enrich our scientific knowledge of the Earth, the sun, the stars and cosmic space; to study the effects of weightlessness on living organisms and more.

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Skylab 2

Charles “Pete” Conrad, Jr.

Joseph P. Kerwin

Paul J. Weitz

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