Summary
This document gathers excerpts from the technical debriefings of all three Skylab crews. The crews reported light flashes seen with eyes closed at night, a bright reddish object tracked for several minutes and assessed as a satellite in a similar orbit, and flashing lights moving outside the station presumed to be other debris or satellites.
Detail
Launched on May 14, 1973, Skylab was the United States' first laboratory in space and was visited by three crews between 1973 and 1974. This document compiles excerpts from the technical debriefings of all three crews.
From the Skylab 2 (first crew) debriefing of June 30, 1973, Science Pilot Joseph Kerwin described light flashes seen by the crew, most often at night with eyes closed but awake, which waxed and waned in frequency. From the Skylab 3 debriefing of October 4, 1973, Science Pilot Owen Garriott described a bright reddish object tracked for five to ten minutes about a week before splashdown and judged to be a satellite in a very similar orbit, as well as a large reddish object brighter than any planet seen out the wardroom window. From the Skylab 4 debriefing of February 22, 1974, Commander Gerald Carr reported flashing lights moving distinctly relative to the station, presumed to be other pieces of Skylab or other satellites.
The document was released through the PURSUE declassification.
