Five Bear Paws

 

In 1973, communications specialist Bob Crippen was working on NASA’s ground support crew when a call came in from the Skylab space station. It was a woman’s voice saying, “Hello, Huston, this is Skylab. Are you reading me down there?” Bob knew the three astronauts on the station were men. It would be another decade before Sally Ride – America’s first female astronaut – made it to space. Bob asked for identification, and the voice replied she was Helen Garriott, visiting Skylab to bring her husband Owen a home-cooked meal. She made a comment about how California looked from space. By this point, a bewildered crowd was gathering around Bob’s speakers. Helen signed off, saying, “Gotta get off the line. I’m not supposed to be talking to you. See you later, Bob.” It took NASA a while to realize Owen Garriott hadn’t smuggled his wife on board, just a tape recorder for an epic prank