Skylab 3 (SLM-2)

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This mission was generally recognized as Skylab 2, since it was the second crew to inhabit Skylab, the orbiting work station. (The first Skylab mission was launched with no crew ab oard.) However, NASA officially referred to the mission as Skylab 3 or SLM-2 The flight established a new record for manned space flight, more than double the 28 days of the previous Skylab mission. The flight proved that signs of physical deterioration experienced by the first Skylab crew can reverse themselves over a longer period of time, except for bone calcium loss. The crew completed three, two-man EVAs and conducted more than 1,000 hours of experiments. The mission was extended to 59 days to make up for lost time when thruster controls on the Service Module malfunctioned, thus delaying the mission and threatening a safe un-docking of the Command Service Module from the Orbiting Work Station. The problem was successfully resolved and the CSM landed safely in the Pacific Ocean off southern California. Approximately 4 1/8” Diameter Launch Date: July 28, 1973 at 8:11 AM EDT Launch Vehicle: Saturn 1B Crew: Commander: Alan L. Bean, Science Pilot: Owen K. Garriott, Pilot: Jack R. Lousma Show more