Edward Gibson
Edward George Gibson | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 8, 1936 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Astronaut, pilot, engineer, physicist |
| Years active | 1965–1982 (NASA career) |
| Known for | Skylab 4 science pilot; NASA scientist-astronaut |
| Notable work | The Quiet Sun (monograph), Reach (novel), In the Wrong Hands (novel) |
Edward George Gibson (born November 8, 1936) is a retired NASA astronaut, pilot, engineer, and physicist.
Prior to his NASA career beginning in 1965, Gibson obtained degrees from the University of Rochester and the California Institute of Technology, worked as a research assistant specializing in jet propulsion, and later served as a research scientist at Philco Corporation. He is the sole surviving astronaut from the Skylab 4 mission.
Chosen as part of NASA Astronaut Group 4, the inaugural cohort of scientist-astronauts, Gibson supported Apollo 12 before playing a key role in the development of the Skylab space station. During 1973–74, he flew as science pilot on Skylab 4, the final manned Skylab expedition, spending more than 84 days in orbit alongside Commander Gerald P. Carr and Pilot William R. Pogue.
Gibson left NASA in December 1974 but returned in 1977 to manage the selection process for scientist-astronaut candidates. He concluded his NASA career with retirement in October 1982.
Early life and education
Born in Buffalo, New York, Gibson overcame osteomyelitis during childhood through active participation in sports such as swimming, football, and track. He was also involved with the Boy Scouts of America, achieving the rank of First Class.
Graduating from Kenmore Senior High School in 1955, Gibson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Rochester in 1959, where he was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity. He then completed a Master of Science in engineering with a focus on jet propulsion at Caltech in 1960, followed by a PhD in engineering with a physics minor there in 1964 under the guidance of Maria Wonenburger.
Early career
During his time at Caltech, Gibson served as a research assistant working on jet propulsion and classical physics projects, publishing research related to plasma physics and solar physics. Starting June 1964, he held the position of senior research scientist at Philco Corporation's Applied Research Laboratories located in Newport Beach, California, concentrating on lasers and optical gas breakdown.
Gibson accumulated over 4,300 hours of flight time, including approximately 2,270 hours piloting jet aircraft.
NASA career
Selected by NASA as a scientist-astronaut in June 1965, Gibson completed nearly a year (53 weeks) of flight training at Williams Air Force Base, earning his Air Force pilot wings. His flight experience included helicopter and T-38 aircraft operations.
He contributed to the Apollo program by serving on astronaut support crews and acting as CAPCOM during the Apollo 12 lunar landing mission, becoming the first member of his astronaut group assigned to an active crew role. Gibson was also instrumental in designing and testing hardware for the Skylab space station.
To prepare for Skylab missions, he specialized in solar physics and authored the monograph The Quiet Sun, which was published both in English (1973) and Russian (1977).
Skylab 4
As science pilot on Skylab 4, launched November 16, 1973, Gibson participated in the third and last crewed Skylab mission that concluded on February 8, 1974. The crew set a record at that time for longest human spaceflight with an 84-day duration covering approximately 34.5 million miles. Alongside Commander Gerald P. Carr and Pilot William R. Pogue, they conducted an extensive program including 56 experiments, 26 scientific demonstrations, 15 subsystem tasks, and 13 student projects over the course of 1,214 orbits around Earth. They also collected significant Earth resource data utilizing Skylab’s sensor arrays.
Gibson’s primary responsibility involved operating the Apollo Telescope Mount for over 338 hours to perform detailed solar observations. The Skylab 4 crew held the world record for individual time spent in space—exceeding 2,017 hours—until March 1978. During three extravehicular activities totaling 15 hours and 22 minutes outside the Skylab Orbital Workshop, Gibson conducted spacewalks. He remains the last living member of Skylab 4 following the deaths of Carr (2020) and Pogue (2014).
After departing NASA in December 1974, Gibson joined Aerospace Corporation in Los Angeles as a senior staff scientist analyzing solar physics data from Skylab. Beginning March 1976, he served as a consultant on Spacelab design for ERNO Raumfahrttechnik GmbH in West Germany under a U.S. Senior Scientist Award granted by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Returning to NASA in March 1977, he led selection and training for Scientist-Astronaut Candidates. Despite his extensive knowledge of space stations, Gibson was hesitant to fly aboard Space Shuttle missions but performed CAPCOM duties during STS-1. He officially retired from NASA on October 31, 1982.
Post-NASA career
Between July 1980 and August 1987, Gibson held the position of project manager at TRW's Space Park, where he contributed to the development of Space Station Freedom. He managed a NASA contract with the GSFC focusing on Earth-observation satellites and the design of servicing facilities for Space Station Freedom.
In October 1990, Gibson established Gibson International Corp., a consulting firm specializing in program management, market expansion, and the design and operation of space infrastructure.
His published works are extensive, including a textbook on solar physics, two novels titled Reach (1989) and In the Wrong Hands (1992), as well as serving as editor for The Greatest Adventure (1994), a compilation of space mission narratives. In 2025, he released Space: Ever Farther, Ever Faster, which offers insights into the history of space exploration alongside reflections on his Skylab 4 mission.
Special honors and awards
Gibson has been honored with fellowships from both the National Science Foundation and the California Institute of Technology. His awards include the Johnson Space Center Certificate of Commendation (1970), Gold Medals from the Cities of New York and Chicago (1974), and the FAI Yuri Gagarin Gold Medal (1974). In 1976, he received the U.S. Scientist Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for his research conducted in West Germany. Additional accolades include the JSC Special Achievement Award (1978) and honorary doctorates awarded by the University of Rochester and Wagner College in 1974.
The Skylab crews were collectively recognized with the 1973 Robert J. Collier Trophy for showcasing the significance of human spaceflight. In 1974, President Nixon presented the Skylab 4 team with the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. The crew also earned several other honors: the American Astronautical Society's Flight Achievement Award (1975), FAI's De La Vaulx Medal and V. M. Komarov Diploma (1974), the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy (1975), and the AIAA Haley Astronautics Award (1975) for their record-setting mission.
In 1997, Gibson was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, joining fellow Apollo astronauts.
Personal life
Gibson is married to Julianne Volk from Tonawanda, New York. Together they have four children: Jannet Lynn (born 1960), John Edward (born 1964), Julie Ann (born 1968), and Joseph Michael (born 1971).
Media appearances
In the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, actor Geoffrey Nauffts portrayed Gibson. His role as Capcom during Apollo 12 was a composite character representing Gibson along with Gerald Carr and Don Lind.