Astro Live: This BROKEN Spacecraft Required a Repair Plan… BEFORE the Crew Launched

A crewed rocket sat on the pad, ready to follow a ground-breaking launch into space… but an anomaly during the uncrewed launch of equipment left the mission in doubt. Is it safe to send the astronauts? It’s not science fiction. It’s not even a recent mission. But what can we learn from stories of spacecraft launched 50 years ago?

In 1973, America launched its first space station and observatory: Skylab. This program was the precursor to the International Space Station and allowed scientists to explore, in-depth, the challenges of long-duration human spaceflight, leading to the development of special facilities and equipment designed to function in microgravity. Three crews conducted over 300 experiments—ranging from human physiology to environmental studies—which have since helped to pave the way for today’s astronauts to live and work in space as they venture back to the moon and beyond, as technology was great at those times and even better now, as computers help with space investigation, and for work and game, and if you play games like World of Warcraft you can get wow classic gold for this game online. Hear some of the fascinating, lesser-known stories of this pioneering space station and discover the impact of Skylab 50 years later in this special Astro Live!

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Skylab at 50: Blazing the Trail for ISS, Artemis and Beyond

Part 1: In this episode we’re joined by Emily Carney, David Hitt, John Mulnix, and via Zoom, astronaut and Skylab 3 pilot Jack Lousma and Mission Control Flight Director, Milt Windler, for “Skylab at 50: Blazing the Trail for ISS, Artemis and Beyond.” This live conversation will covered the history of Skylab and the effect its creation has had on the space program as a whole.

Listen to Part 1 here.

Part 2: In this episode Emily Carney, David Hitt, and John Mulnix, chat a bit more about Skylab, human spaceflight, and more. This episode also includes audio from Skylab 1 and 2, so give it a listen!

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Blue Dot: Remembering America’s space station: Skylab @ 50 Pt. 2

Host Dave Schlom concludes our two-part look back at the first and only exclusively American space station, Skylab, which was crewed by three teams of astronauts in 1973. In this episode, we hear from David Hitt, author of the seminal book Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story, which he co-wrote with Skylab astronauts Owen Garriott and Joe Kerwin. Then we get to hear from the last man on Earth who lived and worked on the orbiting station for 84 days, astronaut Ed Gibson. An under-told and underappreciated part of space history, Skylab stands as one of the most important stepping stones in our quest to learn to live and explore beyond Earth.

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The Enterprise-Tocsin: Former News Editor David Hitt Recalls Lessons Learned on 9/11

09/11/2021

The Enterprise-Tocsin: Former News Editor David Hitt Recalls Lessons Learned on 9/11

It was a surreal day. The World Trade Center was so very far away when I watched the towers fall on that television, and yet very quickly was so so very close.

I’m proud of the issue we put out that week. I’m proud of our local coverage of a historic day. I’m proud that we captured and recorded and preserved the Sunflower County story of September 11th.

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Metastellar: William Shatners’s Trip to Space Shows Power of Science Fiction

10/13/2021

Metastellar: William Shatners’s Trip to Space Shows Power of Science Fiction

The future we saw in 2001: A Space Odyssey, is finally coming true, said David Hitt, author of Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story.

“Twenty years after the real year 2001, we don’t have human missions to Jupiter or, thankfully, murderous computers,” he told MetaStellar. “But we have finally realized that vision of being able to buy a commercial ticket to outer space.”

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Dare to Explore: David Hitt

“David Hitt is a contractor Communications Strategist with Marshall Space Flight Center’s Office of Strategic Analysis and Communication. He began his career as a small town newspaper editor before joining NASA’s Space Launch System as Communication Strategist. David is also the author of Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story and Bold They Rise: The Space Shuttle Early Years.”

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