Skylab's Final Mission: Accidental Rebels Mute Mission Control

Fifty years ago, the Skylab 4 crew unintentionally put Mission Control on mute for an entire orbit, leading to rumors of a strike. The crew, overwhelmed by their demanding schedule, had only one crew member listening to the radio while the others worked. The incident, along with the crew's attempt to conceal a crew member's sickness, strained the relationship between the crew and Mission Control. Lessons learned from Skylab 4 influenced the design of astronaut work schedules in future missions. The mission also marked the final extravehicular activity of the Apollo era and tested an early version of the Manned Maneuvering Unit. Skylab 4 set a record for US spacecraft endurance that lasted until 2021.