Artifact: Skylab 2+3+4 signed 8x10 NASA litho by all 9 (7 handsigned, 2 autopens)
Artifact Category: autograph, photograph.
Dimensions: 20.4 x 25.5 cm.
Program: Skylab

Description: Skylab litograph handsigned by 7 astronauts: Alan Bean, Jack Lousma, Owen Garriott (Skylab 3 crew), Charles Conrad (Skylab 2) and Jerry Carr, Bill Pogue + Ed Gibson (Skylab 4 crew). 2 are autopensigned : Paul Weitz and Joe Kerwin.

Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations included an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, Earth observation, and hundreds of experiments.

Unable to be re-boosted by the Space Shuttle, which was not ready until 1981, Skylab's orbit eventually decayed, and it disintegrated in the atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris across the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.

Item: Skylab 3 - Flown pencil lead
Size: 5.5x8.5 cm

Status: Flown.

Description: On the back side it says 14 of 70. Piece of pencil lead which was flown on the Skylab Space Station during the Skylab 3 mission. This lead was contained within Jack Lousma's Garland Mechanical Pencil, SEB12100081-301, Serial Number 1064. This segment of lead flew 24,500 miles, completing 858 orbits of the Earth during the fifty nine day mission which launched on July 28th 1973 and returned to Earth on September 25th 1973.