Skylab 3

Alan Bean

• Birthday: 03/15/1932
• Role: Commander
• Nationality: United States of America
• First Flight: 11/14/1969
• Last Flight: 07/28/1973

Alan LaVern Bean was an American naval officer and naval aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut; he w...

Jack R. Lousma

• Birthday: 02/29/1936
• Role: Pilot
• Nationality: United States of America
• First Flight: 07/28/1973
• Last Flight: 03/22/1982

Jack Robert Lousma is an American aeronautical engineer, retired United States Marine Corps officer, former naval aviator, NA...

Owen K. Garriott

• Birthday: 11/22/1930
• Role: Science Pilot
• Nationality: United States of America
• First Flight: 07/28/1973
• Last Flight: 11/28/1983

Owen Kay Garriott is an American electrical engineer and former NASA astronaut, who spent 60 days aboard the Skylab space sta...

Mission

Skylab 3

• Type: Human Exploration
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit

Skylab 3 (also known as SL-3 or SLM-2) was the second crewed mission to the first US orbital space station Skylab. The mission began on July 28, 1973, 11:10:50 UTC with the launch of a three-person crew. Crew members were the Commander Alan L. Bean, Science Pilot Owen K. Garriott and Pilot Jack R. Lousma. During their 59-day stay on the station, crew continued station repairs and conducted various scientific and medical experiments. The mission ended successfully with the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on September 25, 1973, 22:19:51 UTC.

Location

Launch Complex 39B

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Find the best place to watch the launch from Florida

Launch Complex 39B has witnessed the launch of 58 rockets, including 57 orbital launch attempts. While Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA, has been the site for 266 rocket launches.

The John F. Kennedy Space Center, located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of NASA's ten field centers. Since 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of American spaceflight, research, and technology. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).

Rocket

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Saturn IB

The Saturn IB (pronounced "one B", also known as the Uprated Saturn I) was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the Apollo program. It replaced the S-IV second stage of the Saturn I with the much more powerful S-IVB, able to launch a partially fueled Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) or a fully fueled Lunar Module (LM) into low Earth orbit for early flight tests before the larger Saturn V needed for lunar flight was ready.

Learn more about the Saturn IB

Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.