Skylab Program
America's First Space Station
Program Overview
Skylab was the first United States space station, orbited and occupied by three crewed missions in 1973 and 1974. Constructed from a modified Saturn V upper stage, Skylab proved that humans could live and work in space for extended periods. Crews conducted hundreds of experiments in solar physics, Earth observation, materials science, and human physiology. The program proved the vital role of in-space repairs when the first crew saved the damaged station, laying the ground rules for future long-duration orbital outposts.
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