The Skylab 4 mutiny, 1973
▻http://libcom.org/history/1973-skylab-4-mutiny
Commander Carr tried to reason with mission control, stating that “on the ground, I don’t think we would be expected to work a 16-hour day for 85 days, and so I really don’t see why we should even try to do it up here.”
Six weeks into the mission, this culminated in the crew announcing an unscheduled day off, mutinying by turning off the communications radio while getting some rest.
They reportedly spent their day off relaxing and taking in the panoramic views of Earth from orbit.
Carr then communicated the group’s demands: "We need more time to rest. We need a schedule that is not so packed. We don’t want to exercise after a meal. We need to get things under control.’
Eventually, mission control agreed to compromise. Their workload was reduced, schedules altered and the crew given more control over planning.
Pogue recounted that the last six weeks after this were much more enjoyable, allowing them free time for “studying the Sun, the Earth below, and ourselves.”
Initially ground crews attributed the astronauts’ complaining to possible lethargy or depression. But the New York Times reported that Pogue said this was incorrect:
He and the others just wanted more time to look out the window and think. The flight had made him “much more inclined toward humanistic feeling toward other people, other crewmen,” he told Science News in 1985. “I try to put myself into the human situation, instead of trying to operate like a machine.”
After they returned, NASA became vindictive, and ensured that none of the crew flew again.
