Facts about Skylab
- 08
In 1973, astronauts Alan Bean and Owen Garriott conducted the first human experiments with manufacturing materials in the microgravity environment aboard Skylab, creating ultra-pure metal alloys impossible to produce on Earth.
- 07
Skylab's three crewed missions generated approximately 50,000 pounds of experimental data and scientific specimens that were returned to Earth between 1973 and 1979.
- 06
Skylab's astronauts collected 171,470 photographs of the Sun using the Apollo Telescope Mount between 1972 and 1979, significantly advancing solar physics research.
- 05
Skylab's astronauts conducted 2,000 hours of Earth observation photography between 1973 and 1979, creating detailed maps of geological features, weather patterns, and crop conditions across multiple continents.
- 04
Astronaut Owen Garriott conducted 516 hours of solar observations aboard Skylab between 1973 and 1974, discovering new details about solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
- 03
Skylab's 82-ton orbital workshop reentered Earth's atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris across the Indian Ocean and sparsely populated regions of Western Australia.
- 02
Skylab's orbital workshop contained 36,500 cubic feet of habitable volume, making it larger than five railroad cars combined when three astronauts lived aboard for up to 84 days.
- 01
During its 1973 launch, Skylab's micrometeorite shield tore away, causing internal temperatures to reach 126 degrees Fahrenheit until astronauts deployed a parasol.