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The 1973 Space Mutiny That Never Occurred But Became An Urban Legend

Why was the story reported in the media and what really happened

Photo by Bill Jelen on Unsplash

The idea of a group of astronauts going on strike in space seems unbelievable. American astronauts are highly trained professionals undertaking a mission that involves enormous risk. NASA monitors their every action for their safety and that of the entire crew. What would they threaten to do in this so-called strike, anyway? The astronauts could hardly refuse to come back to earth. The catchphrase “does not compute” is the only thing that springs to mind.

Yet in the case of a 1973 Skylab mission, the story that the astronauts staged a strike in space was reported. Credible institutions reported on the event in three different decades. It appeared in The New Yorker magazine in 1976; a Harvard business case study used it in 1980, and perhaps worst of all in 2014, The New York Times referred to it in the headline obituary of one of the astronauts

What’s the actual story?

The 1973 Skylab project

The Skylab space program was a project developed by NASA after the Apollo missions in the 1960s. It involved the launch of a space station that would allow NASA to send teams into space to conduct experiments and learn more about the impact of spending time in space.

In 1973, NASA planned to send three successive groups of astronauts into space. The plan was that the first group would spend 28 days in space. NASA Mission Control hoped that the remaining groups would spend 56 days in space. The teams would undertake spacewalks and help medics monitor how we adapt to long periods in space.

The last group, known as Skylab 4, would eventually end up spending 84 days in the Skylab, setting a record for the longest time spent in space at that period. The mission later passed into legend as the first “mutiny in space” or “space strike”. Both NASA and the astronauts firmly deny this and say that there was never any strike during the mission.

So why the confusion and did the astronauts rebel against Mission Control?

The full mission plan resulted in challenges for the crew

NASA successfully launched the Skylab space station in 1973, and it sent the first team to Skylab in May. Their mission was a success, and they returned safely to earth in June. The second group, known as Skylab 3, were next to launch and they exceeded all expectations in terms of their scientific work and earned themselves the nickname, “the 150% crew” because they accomplished so much. They ended up spending 59 days in space and set the bar high for the last group.

By the time NASA launched the last group, known as Skylab 4, in November 1973, Mission Control was eager to get even more information. They increased the planned time space and the overall workload for this ultimate group. NASA hoped they would stay in space for a record-breaking 84 days.

The initial change to a zero-gravity environment is tough, and Mission Control normally allows crews some time for this. They need to get used to living and working without the normal rules of gravity. NASA had given this time to the two previous groups, but not this group because of the sheer amount of work they had to do. One astronaut was sick for the first few days, putting pressure on the rest of the team.

It’s probably fair to say that things got off to a tense start.

Both sides improve relationships by agreeing to compromise

Mission Control hadn’t built a close relationship with the astronauts in this group. When these astronauts were in training, the guys in Mission Control had been busy working with the teams already in the space station. The normal practice was for NATA to monitor the teams closely, both for safety reasons and to ensure they stay on track with the work plans. This was the case with this mission, but perhaps the relationship building between the crew and NASA took more time than usual.

As NASA continued to send detailed lists of experiments and daily tasks, the astronauts felt they were being micromanaged and their work rate questioned. Pressure and frustration built up on both sides. Despite this, the team continued with their work, often working sixteen-hour shifts, and completed an impressive number of experiments, including three spacewalks.

A space mission of this nature creates unique stresses for both NASA and the astronauts. It certainly seems that the first half of this mission had a higher level of tension compared to others. However, midway through their mission, on 30th December, the crew had a frank discussion with Mission Control about their concerns. This seemed to clear the air, and they agreed to change the communications system.

The agreed compromises resulted in a much better atmosphere, and there were no other issues for the rest of the mission.

What happened on the day of the supposed strike?

The reports of the strike first appeared in the magazine, The New Yorker, in 1976, two years after the mission. They also appeared in a subsequent book, by the same journalist who had written the article for the magazine, and also emerged as a business case, on the danger of micromanaging highly skilled employees, in the Harvard Business Review in 1980. Finally, the story appeared in the 2014 New York Times obituary for the astronaut, Mr. Bill Pogue. The major claim was that, in retaliation against the perceived excessive supervision by NASA, the crew turned off the radio and refused to talk to Mission Control. The reports referred to either the 27th December or 28th December 1973 as the day of the so-called strike.

As you might expect, NASA has a detailed record log of all mission events, including what happened around the time of the alleged strike. The astronauts were in space for Christmas day, 25th December, and they worked as normal. Mission Control advised the crew that they would be out of tracking range for an entire orbit that day, which takes about 90 minutes. When they were back in range, after one full revolution with no contact, the log recorded that NASA had restored communication. This may have given the misleading impression later on that the crew had turned off the radio to avoid contact.

Two of the astronauts had completed a 7 hour spacewalk that day. The next day, the 26th December, was a day off, normal practice after a spacewalk, and one of the group joked with Mission Control, that they would have their answering service switched on for the 26th. The crew continued to work on 27th and 28th, with several calls with scientists back on earth taking place. However, Mission Control had some technical problems and couldn’t reach the space station for a while. This may also have led to an assumption that the crew had turned off the radio.

The group returned safely to earth on 8th February 1974, having completed a large body of work and with the record for the longest time spent in space.

Final thoughts on this story

The idea of a “space strike” or mutiny gained traction in the media in 1976, two years after the actual mission. It even appeared in a Harvard Business Case in 1980, as a lesson on the dangers of micromanaging key employees. By this time NASA had already released detailed papers and records from the mission showing no such event had occurred.

The earlier tensions during the first half of the mission probably fed into this story, but it appears from the official records that there is no substance to it. It would have been a very reckless act for highly trained astronauts and would have gone against all their training. It must have been especially upsetting for the family of astronaut Bill Pogue when the headline over his obituary in the New York Times read, “Mr. Bill Pogue, the astronaut who staged a strike in space dies at 84”.

Media outlets did not reach the standard we expect on this occasion.

Space travel has brought us stories of triumph and tragedy, heroism, and heartbreak but it has not yet brought us a credible story of a space strike or mutiny.

References:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-real-story-of-the-skylab-4-strike-in-space

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-56346001

Science
Space Exploration
History
Media Criticism
USA
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