OTD in Space – February 8: NASA Astronauts Say Final Goodbye to Skylab
- last year
On Feb. 8, 1974, the last crew of the Skylab space station returned to Earth. [‘On This Day in Space’ Video Series on Space.com](https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html)
Skylab was the first and only American space station, and it supported three crewed missions. The third and final mission lasted 84 days. During their time inside the orbiting workshop, the three-person crew observed the sun, watched a comet fly by, and participated in several medical studies. The crew also performed the first-ever strike in space by cutting off communications with NASA when they became overwhelmed with their workload. They ended up doing more work than what was planned before their capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, marking the end of the Skylab program.
Skylab was the first and only American space station, and it supported three crewed missions. The third and final mission lasted 84 days. During their time inside the orbiting workshop, the three-person crew observed the sun, watched a comet fly by, and participated in several medical studies. The crew also performed the first-ever strike in space by cutting off communications with NASA when they became overwhelmed with their workload. They ended up doing more work than what was planned before their capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, marking the end of the Skylab program.