Dec 15

Space Rocket History #429 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Solar Observations and the Last EVA

The next time an American would venture outside of a spacecraft would be on a Space Shuttle flight and that was nine years later. In less than a decade, from June 1965 to February 1974, American astronauts had learned to effectively work in Earth orbit, had left their footprints on the moon, and had walked in space. 

Skylab – Solar Flare

Skylab Spacewalk

Skylab Spacewalk

Dec 01

Space Rocket History #428 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Kohoutek in all its Glory

This crew was the first to celebrate a new year in space 17 times as they orbited the earth and moved through the time zones.

Kohoutek

Skylab Food & Tray

Trash Air Lock over the LOX Tank

Nov 17

Space Rocket History #427 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Christmas in Space

“We and everybody on the ground thought that it was going to be a beautiful, brilliant comet. It turned out to be beautiful all right, but it was so faint that we really had to work to find it. Once we did find it, we observed a gorgeous thing: small, fainter, but gorgeous! Although we took as many pictures as we could, I don’t think our film captured its beauty.” Jerry Carr.

Decorating the Tree

Kohoutek Photo from EVA

Kouhoutek Day After Perihelion

Nov 03

Space Rocket History #426 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – The First EVA

“Nothing was outside, three times I went out that hatch into the ‘truly great outdoors.’ When I was out there, it was a silent world, except for the whispers of my own breath. Sometimes I felt totally alone, like the world below didn’t even know I was there.” Ed Gibson.

CM Photographed During EVA

Ed Gibson at the ATM

Ed Gibson at the ATM

Dr. Lubos Kohoutek speaks to the Skylab 4 crew