The extremely ambitious crew of Skylab 4 was feeling just a little ragged today after a great deal of unexpected flight plan changes messed up their schedule. This too was part of learning how to live and work in space. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

Some people and things are news, whether its 1973 or 2025. Plus, a musical wakeup call to the crew! #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

The Pioneer 10 flyby of Jupiter was big news on Skylab, too! #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

According to CapCom Bruce McCandless, it was pizza night in Houston! #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

The Skylab crew had to a lot of paperwork to report their daily progress, and the usual update sounded something like this. We're still working on trying to figure it all out! #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

Various pieces of equipment onboard Skylab had a life and personality of their own, it appears #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

In today's news, the Skylab crew received an update on Pioneer 10, the first spacecraft to Jupiter, soon to makes it closest approach to the gas giant. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

The world's most common airliner is grounded due to the Sun's intense radiation. This is why we have things like #Skylab, to do basic science about the Sun and its relationship with the Earth. #Airbus

Dr. William Thornton invented the first treadmill to use in space, and was eager to hear how the crew liked it. The crew named it Thornton's revenge. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

More late night chatter a la Skylab 4, featuring Robert Crippen!

The brewing energy crisis of 1973 was a topic of discussion on Skylab as well, with predictably joking conclusions. Plus football scores. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

The crew fired the thrusters on the docked Apollo spacecraft to raise Skylab's orbit #OTD, and commented on it in a colourful manner, as usual. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

The Skylab 4 crew had their first day off, which really only meant doing less work vs. no work, but it was still a welcome respite after very busy 8 days in space. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

The astronauts loved the water tank as a simulator for spacewalking, but apparently there was still no beating the real deal. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

Skylab 4's crew had to extend their food supply with chocolate bars. Forgetting to eat one could result in a biomedical consultation. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

Amidst all the high-tech equipment of Skylab, on occasion, all they needed was a towel. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

Sometimes, astronauts truly worked the sweat off their brows. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

Astronauts loved spices on their food, although the zero-g conditions necessitated some interesting ways of dispensing such condiments. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

We don't think there's any deep message here other than astronauts having fun - in this case, Story Musgrave, Jerry Carr, and, by proxy, Richard Truly. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

Skylab's mysterious extra crewmembers found by the fourth crew.

It sounds to us that the CapCom was in on a joke by the previous crew, that involved leaving mannequins into Skylab to surprise the arriving astros. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

Welcome to Skylab 4! Follow us for daily "as it happened" updates to the final Skylab mission. Today, we get to hear the crew's first impressions of being in space. #Skylab50 #SkylabOTD

Off she goes! #Skylab 4 mission launched #OTD in 1973, to take Gerry Carr, Ed Gibson and Bill Pogue to the orbiting station. Their goal was simple - break the record for longest stay in space!

The little astronauts' room onboard #Skylab.

Happy SCE to AUX day! Apollo 12 launched #OTD in 1969. Multiple lightning strikes nearly disabled the spacecraft, but quick thinking and action from Mission Control and the crew saved the day!

NASA diagram of the #Skylab crew quarters. Skylab was the first spacecraft to be big enough to have multiple rooms.

On his birthday, we remember the late Richard Truly - #Skylab Capcom, ALT pilot, shuttle astronaut, and NASA Administrator!

Jerry Carr trains for #Skylab 4 in the simulator. The control panels were recreated and functional to maximum detail.

The #Skylab 4 mission was originally designated to lanch #OTD in 1973. Cracks found in the aerodynamic fins on the S-IB first stage prompted a delay so that repairs could be made. Prolonged storage in Florida air had caused corrosion.

Ed Gibson at the #Skylab solar telescope controls.

Ed Gibson dives through the top hatch of #Skylab's living quarters. According to Ed, doing it feet first gave you an illusion of beng very high up and falling, which took some time to get used to at the beginning of the mission!

Us at Team #Skylab wish a happy birthday to our friend and hero, Skylab 4 Science Pilot Ed Gibson! The first solar scientist to practice his trade in space!

Jack, Owen and Al - the crew of Skylab 3!

Team Skylab remembers the Space Shuttle astronaut Rick Hauck on his passing. He flew as a Pilot on STS-7 commanded by Skylab CAPCOM, SMEAT Commander Robert Crippen.

Skylabbing away!

Occasionally the trash airlock required some inventive manpower resources to operate. #Skylab

#Skylab's waste problem was solved with a special airlock that was used to eject trashbags into the empty space under the station floor.

A mysterious #Skylab crewmember.

The one and only Pete #Skylab Conrad!

Buzzz! #Skylab

Inside #Skylab's experiment compartment. She was the first spacecraft big enough to have several rooms!

Engineers work on the shell designed to protect #Skylab's maneuvering thruster fuel tanks. Skylab herself is on her side on the back.

Beautiful contemporary illustration of #Skylab.

Underwater #Skylab simulation.

It would be fun to write an alternate history in which the post-Apollo space program would be based on Apollo/Saturn technology & experience - and then ask people to identify the bits I made up (as opposed to the bits based on real plans from the 1960s/1970s).

Off she goes! #Skylab

Joe, Pete and Paul train in the #Skylab procedures simulator. Although it did not look like the interior of the space station, all the equipment functions were fully duplicated with switches, lights and displays acting exactly like on the station. The crews found it a very helpful aid to training.

Moonwalker, future #Skylab Commander Pete Conrad examines moon rocks after Apollo 12.

#Skylab and SMEAT's Dr. William Thornton.

Al Bean with all the strappings of the #Skylab metabolic analyzer.