Skylab 1/4 (Skylab 4)

1973-06-01 / Skylab space station, low Earth orbit

Excerpts from three NASA Skylab technical crew debriefings, dated June 30, 1973, October 4, 1973, and February 22, 1974, record crew observations of light flashes, a bright reddish rotating object, and flashing lights outside the station. Science Pilot Joseph Kerwin reported that all three Skylab 2 crew members saw light flashes, possibly linked to the South Atlantic anomaly. Science Pilot Owen Garriott reported that the Skylab 3 crew tracked a bright reddish rotating satellite in a very similar orbit for 5 to 10 minutes; Garriott stated no one ever explained its identity.