Spacecraft: The station was made from a “dry” third stage of the Saturn V rocket; Apollo spacecraft were used to bring astronauts to and from the station.

[Skylab Crew] Launch: May 25, 1973

Landing: June 22, 1973

Mission Duration: 28 days, 50 minutes

Altitude: 270 miles

Orbit: 404 orbits completed

Distance: 11.5 million miles

Skylab II was the first American crew to ever man a space station. During it’s 28 day mission, the astronauts carried out a series of experiments relating to the psychological and biological effects to humans in prolonged spaceflight, as well as solar astronomy, Earth observations, life sciences experiments, and experiments from high school students across the United States. The Skylab II crew had to make repairs to the station from damage caused from the launch. The most important repair was the deployment of a sunshade that was needed to cool the station down to a comfortable 75 degrees. By June 4, Skylab was in full operation.

Charles Conrad, Commander

Charles Conrad was born in Philadelphia on June 2, 1930. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Princeton University in 1953. He held honorary degrees from Princeton, Lincoln-Wesleyan University and Kings College. Following college, Conrad joined the Navy and became a naval aviator. He attended the Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, MD, and later served at Patuxent as a test pilot, flight instructor and performance engineer. Conrad was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1962. He flew two missions during the Gemini program; Gemini 5, and Gemini XI. He later walked on the Moon in November, 1969, during the Apollo 12 mission. Conrad retired from NASA in 1973, and passed away on July 8, 1999, in California.

Paul J. Weitz, Pilot

Paul Weitz was born July 25, 1932, in Erie, Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1954 and a Masters in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1964. Weitz received his commission as a Navy ensign through the NROTC program at Penn State. He served one year at sea aboard a destroyer before going to flight training and earning his wings in 1956. He served in various naval squadrons until NASA selected him as an astronaut in 1966. His first space mission was as a member of Skylab II, and later commanded the sixth space shuttle mission. Weitz later became deputy director of the NASA's Johnson Space Center before retiring from the Navy as a captain.

Joseph P. Kerwin, Scientist Pilot

He was born February 19, 1932, in Oak Park, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from College of Holy Cross in 1953 and a Doctor of Medicine from Northwestern University Medical School in 1957. Kerwin completed his internship at the District of Columbia General Hospital, then joined the Navy and attended the U.S. Navy School of Aviation Medicine at Pensacola, Florida. He was designated a naval flight surgeon in 1958. He earned his flight wings in 1962. NASA selected Kerwin in its first group of six scientist-astronauts in June 1965. He was named science pilot for Skylab 2, first first manned mission to the Skylab 1. Following the flight, Kerwin became Director, Space and Life Sciences at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He resigned from NASA and from the Navy as a captain and from 1987 to 1996 he held management positions with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Company. He presently heads Krug Life Sciences, Inc., which has a major research contract with NASA. Kerwin has the distinction of being the first medical doctor to practice in space.


Click here: Astronaut Charles Conrad works at the Apollo telescope on Skylab.
Click here: Portrait of Astronaut Charles Conrad.
Click here: Charles Conrad showers aboard Skylab.
Click here: The crew of Skylab II at the launch pad.
Click here: A Skylab II astronaut conducts a dental exam.
Click here: Portait of Astronaut Joesph Kerwin.
Click here: A view of part of the Skylab space station.
Click here: Recovery of the Apollo command module used to return the Skylab II astronauts.
Click here: A Skylab II astronaut conducts an EVA to repair part of the space station.
Click here: Skylab awaits launch on Pad 39-A.
Click here: A Skylab II astronaut in his sleep restraint.
Click here: Portrait of Astronaut Paul Wietz.
Click here: Astronaut Paul Wietz conducts a solar experiment on Skylab.


[Conrad Shower]
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NASA Project Skylab Homepage
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Charles Conrad Biography
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Paul Weitz Biography
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Joseph Kerwin Biography
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NASA Gemini V Page
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NASA Gemini XI Page
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NASA Apollo 12 Page
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NASA STS - 6 Page

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