Success
Skylab 2
Human Exploration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)Government
Saturn IB
LEOorbit
Skylab 2 (also known as SL-2 or SLM-1) was the first crewed mission to the first US orbital space station Skylab. The mission began on May 25, 1973, 13:00:00 UTC with the launch of a three-person crew. Crew members were the Commander Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr., Science Pilot Joseph P. Kerwin and Pilot Paul J. Weitz. During their 26-day stay on the station, crew performed station repairs and conducted scientific, medical experiments, gathered solar and Earth science data. The mission ended successfully with the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on June 22, 1973, 13:49:48 UTC.
Friday, May 25, 1973 at 1:00 PM
Mission details
Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: SL-2, SL-3 and SL-4. Major operations included an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, Earth observation, and hundreds of experiments.
May 14, 1973 — Jul 11, 1979
Orbital Attempt
#1,457
NASA Mission
#122
Pad Launch
#2
Location Launch
#14
Designator
1973-032
Launch Window
NET
May 25, 1973, 1:00 PM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
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).
Timezone
America/New_York
Local Launch Time
May 25, 1973, 9:00 AM
Total Launches
281
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
28.5242, -80.6508
Saturn IB Specs
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.
Length
43.2 m
Diameter
6.61 m
Launch Mass
590 t
Thrust
7,100 kN
LEO Capacity
21,000 kg
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
1966
Fastest Turnaround
1mo 21d
Total Launches
10
Successful
9
Failed
1
Consecutive Success
6
Maiden flight: Feb 26, 1966
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.
Founded
1958
Administrator
Administrator: Jared Isaacman
Total Launches
142
Successful
122
Failed
20
Pending
5
Consecutive Success
12