Skylab: The First U.S. Space Station (Photos)

Massive Solar Flare, Skylab Telescope

This ultraviolet photograph of a massive solar flare, spanning a third of a million miles into space, was taken on Dec. 19, 1973, during the Skylab 4 mission by a telescope mounted on the Apollo telescope mount designed and built at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Seamstresses Stitch a Sun-Shade

Seamstresses sewed a protective shield to replace the one lost during the Skylab launch.

A Skylab Christmas

The first American Christmas holiday aboard a space station occurred in 1973 during the Skylab 4 mission to the first American space station Skylab. The station's three-man crew saved up their food cans to create this space Christmas tree.

Weight Training in Zero-Gravity

Astronaut Gerald P. Carr, commander for the Skylab 4 mission, jokingly demonstrates weight training in zero-gravity as he balances Astronaut William R. Pogue, pilot, upside down on his finger.