Skylab 2 was the first crewed mission to America’s Skylab space station — and one of NASA’s greatest rescue stories. When Skylab launched on May 14, 1973, a catastrophic failure during ascent tore off its micrometeoroid shield and one solar array wing, while jamming the second wing shut. The uncrewed station was overheating and running on minimal power. NASA delayed the first crew launch by 10 days while engineers frantically designed repair tools and a deployable parasol sunshade.

Commander Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr., Science Pilot Joseph Kerwin, and Pilot Paul Weitz launched on May 25, 1973, atop a Saturn IB from KSC Launch Complex 39B. After rendezvousing with the crippled station, the crew first attempted a stand-up EVA to free the jammed solar wing — Weitz leaned out the Command Module hatch with a 10-foot pole, tugging at the stuck panel while Conrad held his legs, but it wouldn’t budge. After a harrowing failed attempt to dock (requiring manual override of the docking probe), the crew entered Skylab and deployed the parasol sunshade through a scientific airlock. Within hours, internal temperatures began dropping from over 130°F toward a livable range.

On June 7, Conrad and Kerwin performed a daring EVA to free the jammed solar wing. Using a specially designed cutting tool, they severed the metal strap pinning the wing shut. When the wing finally broke free, the sudden force catapulted both astronauts away from the station — their tethers saving them. With full solar power restored, Skylab was transformed from a potential total loss into a fully operational space station.

Over 28 days in orbit, the crew conducted 392 hours of experiments, including solar astronomy observations using the Apollo Telescope Mount, Earth resources photography, and biomedical studies on the effects of weightlessness. Conrad, a veteran of Gemini and Apollo 12 (where he walked on the Moon), brought his characteristic humor and can-do attitude to the mission. The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on June 22, 1973, and was recovered by the USS Ticonderoga. Skylab 2 proved that astronauts could repair complex systems in space and validated the concept of long-duration crewed spaceflight.