lifted off at 8:01 am CDT November 16, 1973, with crewmembers Gerald Carr, Ed Gibson, and Bill Pogue.

One task assigned to the crew was observation and documentation of the newly discovered Comet Kohoutek. Because the comet never achieved the size or the brightness predicted for it, many Earth-bound viewers were disappointed. But the astronauts had a completely different experience. Gibson and Carr photographed the comet as it approached the Sun, during an EVA conducted specifically for that purpose.

In the medical arena, the third Skylab crew was able to document the physical changes of its members. Previous crews had reported that they thought they had actually gained some height during their time at Skylab, but they had not had access to proper measuring devices with which to confirm their suspicions. The third mission carried such devices and documented that each crewmember gained 1 to 2 inches of height while at the station. The height increase was accompanied by a loss of some muscle mass as the body adjusted to zero-gravity, and body fluids were redistributed accordingly. Without the pull of gravity, the body's calves and thighs reduce in size as fluids move up from the legs, the spinal column stretches, and the chest and abdomen reduce. All three astronauts regained their "normal" body proportions within a few days after their return to Earth.

Prior to undocking the service module nudged Skylab into an orbit about 280 miles high with an expected lifespan of 10 years.

The third (and last) Skylab mission came to an end when the crew splashed down at 10:17 CDT February 8, 1974, about 155 miles southwest of San Diego.

The Skylab Program
Gerald Carr
Ed Gibson
Bill Pogue

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This page was last updated on 08/10/2011.