Gerald Carr helped prove humans can live in space for extended times after spending 84 days in orbit.
Gerald Carr, a Denver-born NASA astronaut who spent 84 days in space, died Wednesday, August 26, in Albany, NY, just days after his 88th birthday.
Born August 22, 1932, Carr commanded an all-rookie crew during NASA's Skylab 4 mission from November 16, 1973, to February 8, 1974. The mission, which ended up being the last crewed mission to the Skylab Space Station, included a variety of biomedical experiments designed to test the impact of long-duration spaceflight on the human body.
Carr (center) spent 84 days in space with fellow crew members scientist-astronaut Edward G. Gibson
(left), and astronaut William R. Pogue (right). Photo credit: NASA
The Skylab 4 crew was in orbit for Christmas in 1974. Reflecting on the mission many years later, Carr recalled that the crew built a makeshift Christmas tree out of food can liners decorated with colorful decals and a homemade foil star, and opened gifts from home. Carr then delivered a Christmas program for people back on earth in which he described observations made by crewmate Edward Gibson, who had noted the lack of visible boundaries on earth when observed from space.
"Ed pointed out—and he was the first astronaut I know of to point it out—that you can see no boundaries on the Earth, no man-made boundaries, that the barriers that man puts up between himself and his fellow man, that the only boundaries you can see are the natural ones, the rivers, the lakes, things like that," he said of the message he relayed to earth that day. "So his message was that there's a universality of human beings up there. We're all in the same boat together and we really ought to learn to live peacefully together."
Following the mission, Carr provided his expertise to NASA's Space Shuttle program, helping to design the shuttle cockpit with human factors in mind. NASA credits Carr's contributions with advancing its ability to support humans living and working in space.
Carr's path to space began when he joined the Navy in 1949. He attended the University of Southern California where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1954. He went on to study aeronautical engineering at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, graduating in 1961. He also earned a Master's degree of Science from Princeton University in 1962 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in aeronautical engineering from Parks College of Saint Louis University.
Carr completed flight training in Florida and Texas and then served as a test pilot in the Marines, where he logged more than 5,300 hours of flying time. In 1966, during the height of the Space Race, Carr was chosen as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 5. During his time in the Apollo program, he served as a capsule communicator, facilitating communications between in-space astronauts and ground crews for the Apollo 8 and Apollo 12 missions.
Jerry Carr’s courage and leadership changed the course of exploration. His record-setting Skylab mission opened the door to long duration spaceflight, a legacy that manifests itself each day on @Space_Station, and will one day carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. #AdAstra pic.twitter.com/6PohVaP4OH
— Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) August 26, 2020
After he retired in 1977, Carr worked as a professional engineer and founded an aerospace consulting company that helped develop crew systems for the International Space Station.
“NASA and the nation have lost a pioneer of long-duration spaceflight," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “We send our condolences to the family and loved ones of astronaut Gerald 'Jerry' Carr, whose work provided a deeper understanding of life on Earth and in space."
