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Skylab 1/2 Technical Crew Debriefing (JSC-08053)
Skylab crew (Conrad, Kerwin, Weitz) report seeing light flashes in their eyes while in space -- spots, sunbursts, or streaks occurring 2-3 per minute, possibly related to cosmic rays and the South Atlantic Anomaly.
Analysis
About a week before splashdown, the Skylab 1/3 crew spotted a bright reddish object in nearly their same orbit. It rotated with a 10-second period, was brighter than Jupiter, and entered Earth's shadow just 5-7 seconds after the station -- meaning it was within 30-50 nautical miles. Owen Garriott's orbital analysis confirmed it was tracking close to Skylab's path. It held position in the wardroom window for 10 minutes, then was never seen again on any subsequent orbit. Nobody ever identified it. All three Skylab crews (1/2, 1/3, 1/4) also reported light flashes visible with eyes closed at rates of 2-3 per minute. Some appeared as entrance-and-exit streaks consistent with particles passing through the eyeball. The 1/4 crew saw external lights with definite relative motion that appeared to tumble.
Key Findings
- A bright reddish satellite was observed by the Skylab 1/3 crew approximately one week before splashdown, never identified
- Object had a 10-second rotation period (brightness variation) and entered Earth's shadow only 5-7 seconds after Skylab
- Delay of 5-7 seconds in shadow entry suggests the object was within 30-50 nautical miles of Skylab
- Object was much brighter than Jupiter or any star/planet, never took the shape of a recognizable object
- Object held nearly the same position in the wardroom window for 10 minutes (similar orbit) but was never observed on subsequent orbits
- All three Skylab crews observed light flashes with eyes closed, 2-3 per minute at peak
- Some flashes appeared as entrance and exit streaks, consistent with cosmic particle transit through the eyeball
- Skylab 1/4 crew observed 2-3 instances of lights with definite motion relative to Skylab, appearing to tumble
Page Extractions 11 pages
Page 1
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doc_typereport
classificationnone visible
page_descriptionTitle page of Skylab 1/2 Technical Crew Debriefing document with publication and classification notice.
dates1973-06-30 | debriefing date
organizations
- NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center | NASA facility in Houston, Texas
- Training Office | division
- Crew Training and Simulation Division | division
references
- JSC-08053 | document identifier
- NASA Policy Directive 1382.2 | policy reference
- Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) | legal reference
quotes"This document may be exempt from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). Requests for its release to persons outside the U.S. Government should be handled under the provisions of NASA Policy Directive 1382.2." | document notice
Page 2
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page_descriptionCrew debriefing discussion of unusual light flashes observed during Skylab mission, with discussion about frequency, appearance, and eye localization.
people
- Kerwin | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Conrad | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/questioner
- Weitz | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
observationsLight flashes observed by crew members; Kerwin saw them most often when in sleeping quarters at night with eyes closed but awake naturally; flashes tended to wax and wane in frequency; numberous at times - two or three per minute; some appeared as spots or sunbursts, others as streaks; streaks less frequent than bursts; most in peripheral visual field, very few in central visual field; Weitz reported flashes primarily in left eye for some reason; flashes could be isolated to one eye by concentration
assessments
- Question raised whether light flashes were in conjunction with South Atlantic anomaly | Conrad/Kerwin
- Kerwin did not have data available to confirm conjunction with South Atlantic anomaly | Kerwin
- Kerwin did not attempt to determine which eye flashes appeared in | Kerwin self-assessment
- Kerwin is sure flashes are in one eye | Kerwin
quotes
- "Unusual or Unexpected Visual Phenomenon. We saw light flashes. I think all of us saw them. I saw them most often when I was in the sack at night with my eyes closed but awake naturally. They tended to wax and wane in frequency. Someone asked me if that was in conjunction with the South Atlantic anomaly. It may have been. I didn't have the pad with me at that time and I don't know. They were numerous at times - two or three per minute." | Kerwin
- "Some of them to me were a spot or sunbursts. Some were streaks. The streaks, in my case, were less frequent than the bursts. Most of them were in my peripheral visual field. Very few in the central visual field. I don't know why." | Conrad
- "You could isolate them to one eye, couldn't you?" | Query
- "No, I couldn't." | Kerwin
- "I would say mine were primarily in the left eye for some reason." | Weitz
- "You have to concentrate but you can determine they are in one eye." | Conrad
- "I did not. That was foolish of me but I didn't try. I'm sure they are in one eye." | Kerwin
references
- Section 23-20 | page reference
- South Atlantic anomaly | geographical/magnetic phenomenon referenced
Page 3
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classificationnone visible
page_descriptionContinuation of light flash discussion with references to cosmic particles and fire sensor winks, plus medical kit inventory notes.
people
- Conrad | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Kerwin | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Weitz | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
observations
- Conrad observed fire sensor wink while lying with eyes half closed; Weitz observed cosmic particle phenomena with entrance streak and exit streak, appearing to go from one side of the eyeball and then the other side; Conrad observed similar cosmic particle phenomena; Conrad remembers one night with a long shot then blank then a long shot in rapid succession, very definitely in and out or across the eye
- Medical Kits and IMSS: crew used about 0.01 percent of available medication; considerable medicine on board for Skylab missions
assessments
- Light flashes are not hallucinations | Kerwin
- Need for care to distinguish between fire sensor winks and fire flashes | Kerwin
- Not operationally necessary to report immediately | Kerwin
- Medication and supplies adequate | Kerwin
quotes
- "Sometimes I'd be lying there with my eyes half closed, and I'd see a fire sensor wink." | Conrad
- "And you'd have to be careful that you weren't confusing that with the fire flash. Once you've seen a few of each, there is question of which is which. They're not an hallucination." | Kerwin
- "We didn't feel it was operationally necessary for anybody to know about it right now." | Kerwin
- "I had a couple that I thought were cosmic particles. I saw an entrance streak and an exit streak." | Weitz
- "Yes, I did too." | Conrad
- "Where, bing-bing, it seemed like it was one side of the eyeball, and then the other side." | Weitz
- "One night I remember that there was a long shot then it was blank then there was a long shot in rapid succession, of course, but very definitely in and out - or across the eye." | Conrad
- "Medical Kits and IMSS. As far as adequate quantity of medication and supplies, I would guess we used about 0.01 percent of the available medication. I think this is something for me to sit down with the doctors and talk about. There is plenty of medicine up there for the Skylab missons." | Kerwin
references
- Section 23-21 | page reference
- Fire sensor | spacecraft equipment
- Fire flash | spacecraft equipment
- Medical Kits | spacecraft equipment
- IMSS | spacecraft system (likely Inflight Medical Support System)
Page 4
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doc_typereport
classificationnone visible
page_descriptionTitle page of Skylab 1/3 Technical Crew Debriefing dated October 4, 1973 with publication and classification notice.
dates1973-10-04 | debriefing date
organizations
- NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center | NASA facility in Houston, Texas
- Training Office | division
- Crew Training and Simulation Division | division
references
- JSC-08478 | document identifier
- NASA Policy Directive 1382.2 | policy reference
- Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) | legal reference
quotes"This document may be exempt from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). Requests for its release to persons outside the U.S. Government should be handled under the provisions of NASA Policy Directive 1382.2." | document notice
Page 5
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page_descriptionCrew debriefing discussion of unusual satellite observation with reddish color, rotation period, and unexplained orbital similarity.
people
- Bean | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Lousma | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker
- Garriott | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness (noted Jack saw it first)
observationsObserved a bright reddish object out the window about a week before splashdown; tracked it for about 5 or 10 minutes; object was obviously a satellite in very similar orbit to Skylab; object was rotating with period of almost exactly 10 seconds as evidenced by brightness variation with that period; followed it until sunset, going out of sunlight just about 5 to 7 seconds after Skylab did; held its position nearly the same in wardroom window for 10-minute interval although crew could see it drift in relative positions slightly, maybe 10 to 20 degrees during the course of that 10-minute interval; object was reddish in color even when Skylab was well above horizon; as they approached sunset, it turned more reddish, presumably because of sunlight change
assessments
- One of the most unusual things the crew observed | Garriott
- Obviously a satellite in very similar orbit | Garriott
- Identity and origin of satellite never explained | Garriott
- Crew wanted explanation from ground personnel | Garriott
quotes
- "I did too. The sack would move over in the corner." | Bean
- "Things we saw out the window." | Lousma
- "For example, we saw that satellite about a week before splashdown. That was one of the most unusual things that we saw and I guess Jack noticed it looking out the window. This bright reddish object was out there and we tracked it for about 5 or 10 minutes. It was obviously a satellite in a very similar orbit to our own. It was rotating and had a period of almost exactly 10 seconds because you could see the brightness vary with that period. We followed it until sunset and it went out of sunlight just about 5 to 7 seconds after we did. It held its position nearly the same, in the wardroom window for that 10-minute interval although we could see it drift in relative positions slightly, maybe 10 to - 20 degrees during the course of that 10-minute interval. It was reddish in color even when we were well above the horizon. As we approached sunset, it turned more reddish, presumably because of the sunlight change. What satellite it was and how it happened to end up in such a similar orbit, no one ever explained to us. And I would like to hear a few words from someone about that satellite." | Garriott
references
- Section 7-4 | page reference
- Wardroom window | spacecraft location
- Splashdown | mission event reference
Page 6
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page_descriptionContinuation of satellite observation discussion with follow-up observations and crew recommendations regarding caution/warning procedures.
people
- Bean | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Lousma | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Jerry | [full name not provided] | ground crew/mission control | recipient of recommendation
observations
- Unusual satellite was never observed again after initial sighting; crew never saw it cycle by on subsequent nights; satellite never took the shape of an object but was always brighter than any other star or planet in night sky, much brighter; crew tried monitors and everything but could never make it into anything other than a bright light
- Lousma had on other occasions, at least once or twice, seen other satellites although they appeared as star points of light
- Crew responded quickly to daytime caution/warnings initially; as mission wore on, only the crew member closest to the panel would respond; without TACS on, rapid DELTA-P is the only significant event possible, which sounds different from other caution/warnings
assessments
- Caution/warnings do not appear to be urgent operational matters requiring immediate response | Bean recommendation
- Rapid DELTA-P has distinctly different sound signature from other caution/warnings | Bean
quotes
- "You bet. We never saw it again. You'd think we would have seen it the next night or it would cycle by another time. Maybe it did and we weren't looking out the window." | Bean
- "You might point out that it never did take the shape of an object but it was always brighter than any other star or planet in the night sky. It was much brighter." | Lousma
- "We tried monitors and everything on it but we could never make it into anything other than a bright light." | Bean
- "In doing T002, I had on other occasions, at least once or twice, seen other satellites although they appeared as star points of light." | Lousma
- "Let's talk about caution/warnings at night and in the daytime. I noticed at first when we did have caution/warnings in the daytime we all whistled up there real quick to see what was happening. Then as the mission wore on, we tended to just let whoever was closest take a look. Without the TACS on, there isn't a lot that can go on except rapid DELTA-P which sounds different than any of the other caution/warnings, particularly just a caution. I recommend to Jerry and his crew, and I'm sure that this recommendation will be hard to live by, that caution/warnings don't appear to be anything you have to hurry and resolve or stop doing your tasks to race up to the panel" | Bean
references
- Section 7-5 | page reference
- T002 | task or experiment designation
- TACS | spacecraft system (Thermal/Atmosphere Control System or similar)
- DELTA-P | pressure difference monitoring system
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page_descriptionSection 20.0 Visual Sightings discussing countdown observations, powered flight, and unusual satellite observation about a week or 10 days before recovery.
people
- Lousma | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/questioner
- Bean | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Garriott | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness (Jack first noticed)
- Jack | astronaut/crew member | NASA | first observer of unusual red object
- Owen | astronaut/crew member | NASA | observer of satellite
observations
- Countdown: visual sighting of booster with swing arm going away; normal visual sightings during countdown
- Powered Flight: booster protector cover going off with lots of flashes and debris in every separation, all normal
- During orbit: About a week or 10 days before recovery, Jack first noticed a rather large red star out the wardroom window; upon close examination, it was much brighter than Jupiter or any of the other planets
- Lousma saw a couple of satellites that appeared like satellites on Earth, and one that was not like ones on Earth
assessments
- Visual sightings during countdown: no problems | Lousma
- Booster protector separation and flashes: all normal | Lousma
- Red star object: unusual, much brighter than Jupiter or other planets, awaiting identification | Garriott
quotes
- "Let's talk about visual sightings. Any comments on countdown. You saw your way to the booster or you didn't see that. Visual sighting no problem there." | Lousma
- "You might want to talk about the visual sightings on that orbit when Owen and Jack saw the satellite." | Bean
- "Yes, let's go through countdown. Any visual sightings on countdown that were significant? We saw the swing arm go away and all that kind of thing." | Lousma
- "Powered Flight: I watched the booster protector cover go off and lots of flashes and debris and everything in every separation, but that's all norminal. During orbit: -" | Lousma
- "Do you want to talk about that satellite?" | Garriott
- "I saw a couple of satellites that appeared like a satellite would on the Earth. I saw one that was not like one you would see on Earth, so why don't you mention it." | Lousma
- "Okay, about a week or 10 days before recovery and we were still waiting for information to be supplied to us about the indentification. Jack first noticed this rather large red star out the wardroom window. Upon close examination, it was much brighter than Jupiter or any of the other planets. It had" | Garriott (text incomplete)
references
- Section 20.0 Visual Sightings
- Section 20-1 | page reference
- Wardroom window | spacecraft location
- Jupiter | celestial body reference
Page 8
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page_descriptionContinuation of unusual satellite observation with orbital analysis and other visual sightings including RCS leak observation.
people
- Garriott | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Lousma | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
observations
- Reddish hue object observed even though well above horizon; light from Sun was not passing close to Earth's limb at time; observed for about 10 minutes prior to sunset; slowly rotating with variation in brightness of 10-second period; observed for about 10 minutes until entering darkness; object followed crew into darkness about 5 seconds later; from 5- to 10-second delay in disappearance, surmised object was not more than 30 to 50 nautical miles from Skylab location; did not move more than 10 or 20 degrees over 10 minutes; orbit very close to Skylab's own; never observed on earlier or succeeding orbits; debriefed in terms of time on channel A
- Other visual sightings: sunrise or sunset observation through wardroom window which led to discovery of RCS leak in command module; appeared like thousands and thousands of stars out there, all different sizes and drifting along X-axis; right after insertion, saw leak in same manner of RCS streaming
assessments
- Orbit very close to Skylab's own orbit | Garriott
- Precise timing and location recorded on channel A | Garriott
- Interest in having identification established | Garriott
- RCS streaming related to observed phenomenon | Lousma
quotes
- "a reddish hue to it, even though it was well above the horizon. The light from the Sun was not passing close to the Earth's limb at the time. We observed it for about 10 minutes prior to sunset. It was slowly rotating because it had a variation in brightness with a 10-second period. As I was saying, we observed it for about 10 minutes, until we went into darkness, and it also followed us into darkness about 5-seconds later. From the 5- to 10-second delay in it's disappearance we surmised that it was not more than 30 to 50 nautical miles from our location. From it's original position in the wardroom window, it did not move more than 10 or 20 degrees over the 10 minutes or so that we watched it. It's orbit was very close to that of our own. We never saw it on any - earlier or succeeding orbits and we'd be quite interested in having its identification established. It's all debriefed in terms of time on channel A, so the percise timing and location can be picked up from there." | Garriott
- "Okay, other visual sightings was the one out the wardroom window. That sunrise or sunset which finally led us to the RCS leak in the command module. It disappeared like thousands and thousands of stars out there; all of them different sizes and drifting along the X-axis. The one that we already mentioned. The one right after insertion where we saw the leak in the same manner of the RCS streaming towards" | Lousma
references
- Section 20-2 | page reference
- Wardroom window | spacecraft location
- Channel A | recording system
- RCS leak | command module component/issue
- X-axis | reference axis
Page 9
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doc_typereport
classificationnone visible
page_descriptionTitle page of Skylab 1/4 Technical Crew Debriefing dated February 22, 1974, Part I with publication and classification notice.
dates1974-02-22 | debriefing date
organizations
- NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center | NASA facility in Houston, Texas
- Training Office | division
- Crew Training and Procedures Division | division
references
- JSC-08809 | document identifier
- NASA Policy Directive 1382.2 | policy reference
- Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) | legal reference
quotes"This document may be exempt from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). Requests for its release to persons outside the U.S. Government should be handled under the provisions of NASA Policy Directive 1382.2." | document notice
Page 10
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page_descriptionCrew debriefing covering window contamination, ammonia odor investigation, and unusual light sightings with relative motion.
people
- Gieson | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Carr | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Bill | astronaut/crew member | NASA | mentioned (changed charcoal canister)
observations
- Material still on windows; unclear what the material is; remaining pieces useful for contamination studies
- Ammonia odor in head discovered about last week of mission; Bill changed out charcoal canister; crew disconnected boot between charcoal canister and blower and smelled no ammonia there; when boot was reconnected to blower, very strong ammonia odor came from blower output; source of smell was the blower unit itself, not the charcoal canister; odor definitely increased in intensity during final week of mission
- Unusual events: occasional sightings of lights flashing outside with definite motion relative to Skylab; two or three sightings of this kind; crew presumed they were other pieces of Skylab or possibly other satellites; sightings were reported on dump tapes as they occurred
assessments
- Ammonia odor was tolerable for rest of mission | Carr
- No special comments concerning light sightings | Carr
- Presumed light flashing objects were other Skylab pieces or satellites | Carr
quotes
- "are still on the windows. Just what that material is, I'm not sure. But the remaining pieces should be useful for contamination studies." | Gieson
- "One other item is the ammonia odor in the head which we discovered about the last week in the mission. We weren't sure what was causing it. Bill had changed out the charcoal canister. We disconnected the boot between the charcoal canister and the blower above it and took a sniff of that. We smelled, no ammonia there. When we connected the boot back up to the blower, a very strong ammonia odor came from the blower output. Thus it appears that the source of the smell was the blower unit itself and not the charcoal canister. As we said in our report of it to the ground, we decided that it was tolerable for the rest of the mission. Therefore, we didn't get into the mode of finding another blower to put in there. I feel that the odor very definitely increased in intensity during the final week of the mission." | Carr
- "One other area of unusual events that we reported on the dump tapes was that on occasion we saw some lights flashing outside with very a definite motion relative to ours. We presumed that they were other pieces of Skylab, or possibly other satellites. We reported our two or three sightings of that kind as soon as they occurred. We have no special comments concerning them," | Carr
references
- Section 7-8 | page reference
- Dump tapes | recording system
- Head | spacecraft facility
- Charcoal canister | air filtration component
- Blower | spacecraft system component
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page_descriptionContinuation of crew debriefing covering light sighting observations, OWS heat exchanger maintenance issues, and EVA anomalies related to water leaks and connector failures.
people
- Carr | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Pogue | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
- Gibson | astronaut/crew member | NASA | speaker/witness
observations
- Light flashing objects appeared to be tumbling; apparent tumbling was actually due to oscillation of light flashes being received from them; found it very interesting to be able to see other objects up there with Skylab
- OWS Heat Exchangers: Major design flaw in that filters were not installed upstream of OWS heat exchanger vanes; upon arrival, vanes were uniformly coated with lint; Pogue fabricated special tool to fit flush against surface vanes to exert good vacuum; sucked quite a bit of condensate water out of heat exchangers though not designed as condensive heat exchangers; lint could never be fully removed from vanes
- EVA anomalies: Water leak outside observed; Gibson also got a water leak
- PCU composite connector single-point failure: During EVA maneuvering through clothesline ropes, was able to open lock and extend arm which pulls PCU composite connector off
assessments
- One or two of the tumbling objects' appearance was due to light flash oscillation | Carr
- Major design flaw exists in OWS heat exchanger - no upstream filters | Pogue
- Filter needed in OWS heat exchanger system | Pogue
- Single-point failure exists in PCU composite connector mechanical hookup, not previously mentioned as possible cause | Pogue
quotes
- "but we did find it very interesting to be able to see other objects up there with us. The fact that one or two of them appeared to be tumbling was apparently due to the oscillation of the light flashes that we were getting from them." | Carr
- "The OWS Heat Exchangers: There's a major design flaw there in that filters were not installed upstream of the OWS heat exchanger vanes. When we first arrived, the vanes were so uniformly coated with lint that I thought there was some kind of anodized surface on them. I was never fully convinced that I had done the vacumming job properly; therefore, I fabricated a special tool that fit flush against those surface vanes so that I could exert a good vacuum. Though they are not supposed to be condensive heat exchangers, I sucked quite a bit of condensate water out of them. I tried the best I could to keep those things clean, yet I never did get all that lint pulled out of there. That is why I think we needed a filter in the system." | Pogue
- "EVA anomalies might also be mentioned here. For example, you had the water leak outside, and I also got a water leak." | Gibson
- "One thing that was not mentioned on air-to-ground as a possible cause of the problem was the single-point failure that exists in the mechanical way that the PCU composite connector is hooked to the PCU. I was able during EVA, maneuvering through the clothesline ropes, not only to open the lock but also to extend the arm which pulls the PCU composite connector off." | Pogue
references
- Section 7-9 | page reference
- OWS | Orbital Workshop
- EVA | Extravehicular Activity
- PCU | Pressure Control Unit
- Clothesline ropes | EVA equipment/tether system
- Air-to-ground communications | mission communication channel