Fifty-two years ago today, on May 14, 1973 (April 12, 1973 lunar calendar), the first space station in the United States, "SpaceLab", was launched. On May 14, 1973, the first space station in the United States, "SpaceLab 1", was launched into orbit from Cape Kennedy. The SpaceLab will operate in orbit for eight months, during which time an Apollo spacecraft will carry three astronauts to rendezvous with the space station. The 36-meter-long space station has a studio and living room for the three astronauts. But shortly after it took off, a solar shield was damaged. Amazingly, about 10 days later, Charles Conrad Joseph Colvin and Paul Weitz of the Apollo spacecraft repaired the space station in space with replacement parts they were carrying. They are scheduled to return to Earth on June 22.