Today in Space 1973Skylab 3 Launches

Second manned Skylab mission launches (the first mission to deliver the Skylab is considered Skylab 1 so the numbering on the patches refers to the Skylab Expeditions).

The Skylab II patch had a sister patch for the wives (probably one of the most famous alternate patches - as they were seen wearing their patch during the mission). The female version of the patch was done as a joke for the crew who did not see it until they reached orbit.

I tend to avoid much of the news around the "spaceflight participants". And I must confess I had no idea Richard Garriott was the son of Skylab's Owen Garriott. Of course now that I look at him, he is the spitting image of Owen!

When Richard Garriott flew to the ISS as a spaceflight participant, he designed his own patch from the elements of his father's Skylab II patch because some of the elements of their missions were similar.

The original artist of the wives patch had the idea of a wives'/lady friend patch for the ISS mission after she saw a photo of Garriott wearing the Skylab II wives' patch on his Soyuz suit during his training. She suggested the patch to a friend in the space patch business (who contacted another artist) and they designed a patch.

Skylab II patch History.

Richard Garriott's story on the patches including the similarity of him and Sergei Volkov being the first second generation American and Russian to fly in space.

The ISS wives/lady friends patch story.

Lots of controversy around what happened to patch after its design!