Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Joe Engle!

Joe Engle, born August 26, 1932 in Chapman, Kansas, was chosen by NASA as an astronaut in 1966.  He was the backup pilot for the Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 14.  He was originally scheduled as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 17 but NASA selected Harrison Schmitt instead.

His first mission into space was aboard Columbia (STS-2) as commander with pilot Richard Truly in November 1981.  The mission was intended to reboot the Skylab space station but due to development delays and the Skylab's deteriorating orbit, Skylab was de-orbited in July 1979.

His second and final mission was as commander of Discovery (STS-51-I) in August-September 1985.  He spent just over 7 days in space.

Robert Overmyer, Space Shuttle astronaut, born 1936

Space Shuttle astronaut Robert Overmyer, born July 14, 1936 in Lorain, Ohio, went into space twice.  He became an astronaut in 1969 and served as part of the support crews for the Apollo program, the Skylab program and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

His first trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-5) as pilot in November 1982. It was the first officially "operational" shuttle mission.

His second and final was aboard Challenger (STS-51-B) as commander April-May 1985.

Overmyer was testing a plane on March 22, 1996 near Duluth International Airport in Minnesota when his plane crashed. 

Electric Light Orchestra releases "Discovery" 1979

Electric Light Orchestra's eighth studio album Discovery, released May 31, 1979, was their biggest selling album, riding on the success of five singles from the album.  Don't Bring Me Down was the third single released and the biggest seller of all the singles.

ELO dedicated Don't Bring Me Down to NASA's Skylab space station which burned up as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere July 11, 1979.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Robert Parker!

Robert Allan Parker, born December 14, 1936 in New York City, is a veteran of two Space Shuttle flights.  He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1967 and was a member of the Astronaut Support Crews for Apollo 15 and 17. He was a program scientist for all three Skylab missions.

His first shuttle flight was on Columbia (STS-9) in November-December 1983 as a mission specialist.  He traveled with Ulf Merbold, the first ESA and West German in space.

Parker's second and final flights was also on Columbia (STS-35) in December 1990.  He retired from NASA in August 2005.

Skylab crashes to Earth 1979

July 11, 1979, Skylab returned to Earth in a display not quite what NASA had expected, but spectacular anyway, if you were up after midnight in Australia.  Despite being damaged when launched, Skylab was a successful mission for NASA.  It hosted three crews, each of three men, over the course of its life, logging 700 hours observing the sun.

The last mission was in 1974 and Skylab's orbit started deteriorating sooner that NASA had expected, due to increased sunspot activity.

I was on a tractor in the middle of a field in western Oklahoma when it came down and I kept looking to the skies to see it fall.  Unfortunately for me, it entered the atmosphere on the other side of the world.  Oh, well.

Electric Light Orchestra dedicated their song, "Don't Bring Me Down", released just a few weeks before to Skylab.

Skylab 3 mission ends in 1973

Three astronauts took off from Earth July 28, 1973 on the second manned mission to Skylab.  Commander Alan Bean, Jack R. Lousma and Oklahoman Owen K. Garriott returned on September 25, after just over 59 days and 11 hours in space.

The astronauts conducted medical experiments on themselves, since at this point, it would be the longest stay in space, almost 2 months.  Skylab 3 astronauts performed biological experiments, such as the effect of microgravity on mice, fruit flies and single cells.  Student experiments conducted on board included studying X-rays from Jupiter, spider web formation and neutron analysis. 

The astronauts conducted an extra-vehicular activity (EVA) to install a sunshade to keep the station cool and as a solution for the destruction of the micrometeoroid shield during Skylab's launch.

Enid native Owen Garriott operates the Apollo Telescope Mount.