Former NASA astronaut Alan Bean speaks to guests at the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's event celebrating the 40th anniversary of Skylab.

At the Kennedy Space Center's Apollo/Saturn V Center, former NASA astronaut Alan Bean speaks to guests at the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's event celebrating the 40th anniversary of Skylab. Bean served as commander of Skylab 3, the second piloted mission to the space station. In 1969, Bean was lunar module pilot on Apollo 12, the second mission to land on the moon.

The gala commemorating the 40th anniversary of Skylab included six of the nine astronauts who flew missions to America's first space station. The orbiting laboratory was launched unpiloted from Kennedy on May 14, 1973. Between May 25, 1973 and Feb. 8, 1974, crews of three spent 28, 59 and 84 days living and working in low-Earth orbit aboard the station. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/skylab/ Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett