News: Astronauts bid final goodbye to Skylab, the first American space station in 1974

On Feb. 8, 1974, the last crew of the Skylab space station returned to Earth.

Skylab was the first and only American space station, and it supported three crewed missions. The third and final crewed mission (also known as Skylab 4) lasted 84 days.

During their time inside the orbiting workshop, the three-person crew observed the sun, watched a comet fly by, and participated in several medical studies.

They ended up doing more work than what was planned before their capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, marking the end of the Skylab program.