Purgatory Post commemorates Skylab 4 mission

New Hampshire-based Purgatory Post on November 16 issued a pair of stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Skylab 4 mission.

The 4-sola stamps picture astronauts Gerald Carr, Ed Gibson, and Bill Pogue along with the launch of their spacecraft. The other stamp pictures the Skylab station along with the Skylab 4 mission patch.

The Skylab 4 crew launched from Cape Canaveral on November 16, 1973, and did not return to Earth until February 4, 1974. According to Purgatory Post operator Scott A., the astronauts remained on Skylab for 84 days, setting an endurance record not broken until 1978 when a Russian crew recorded a 96 day mission.

Although additional Skylab missions were planned, Skylab 4 turned out to be the last. NASA turned its attention to development of the Space Shuttle program, and Skylab itself eventually burned up in Earth’s atmosphere in July 1979.

Published 2023-12-05