HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Two of the nine NASA astronauts who served aboard Skylab, America's first space station, made their way to the Rocket City, celebrating 50 years since the Skylab Program.
Col. Jack Lousma recalls his first time in Huntsville. "I remember the first time I came to Huntsville, I think it was 1966 or '67. There was only one motel in town and all three [of us] had to stay in that one room, and it sure has expanded since that time." Col. Lousma explained the purpose of Sklylab. "We were going to help build the international space station. We had that as a vision for the future and we really didn't know how to build one based on what we knew were just living in those capsules. So Skylab provided the information required to build that international space station that's up there now."
This experience taught them quite a bit. "In terms of how you operate, live on a daily basis, eat, sleep and waste and so forth. and how do you keep clean and how do you sleep and and how do you do all of your experimental work and so forth. We learned how to do that in Skylab so that we could invent and equip and build design the international space station we have today," he said.
The next stop was heading into the Skylab Space Station trainer where the astronauts recall the fun memories of what it was like to actually be in space. "My recollections are mostly about the amazing freedom of movement that you have in weightlessness and the reminder that no human being had a larger volume in which to play than we did in Skylab," said Dr. Joseph Kerwin.
Col. Lousma added, "It brought back probably some of the best stories that we've ever thought of."