In November 2023, with the help of volunteers from the Western Association for Art Conversation, our Collections team conducted maintenance on the Skylab 1-G Trainer and discovered artifacts that have been sealed and untouched since 1973. “We had an idea that there [were] probably more things in here…[but we were] amazed at what we found” (Paul Spana, Director of Collections and Curator on FOX26).
The trainer is one of Space Center Houston’s first artifacts. For over 32 years, “millions of guests have walked through Skylab and were completely unaware that there were so many other artifacts [inside]…”. The team discovered cassettes, a surgery kit, medical logs and sleep restraints.
To celebrate this discovery, we hosted an exclusive event in partnership with the University of Texas Medical Branch and guest speakers Dr. Joe Kerwin, retired NASA astronaut and Flight Surgeon, and Dr. Ronak Shah, Director of Aerospace Medicine at UTMB Health.
Explore our gallery and get an up-close look at the newly discovered artifacts!
Step back in time and listen to the music that fueled the Skylab crews during their training.
Discover more about America’s first Space Station when you visit our Skylab 1-G Trainer on your next visit!
