Joseph P. Kerwin, M.D.

Selected for the first group of NASA astronauts to include scientists in 1965, Joseph P. Kerwin previously served in the U.S. Navy’s Medical Corps as a flight surgeon.

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In 1973, Joe Kerwin became America’s first medical doctor to travel to space. He holds a medical degree from Northwestern University.

To free Skylab’s jammed solar array, Kerwin conducted a spacewalk with Skylab 2 commander Pete Conrad, saving the space station and the rest of the Skylab program.

From 1984–1987, Kerwin served as Director of Space and Life Sciences at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Kerwin cutting the metal strap to free and deploy Skylab's Orbital Workshop solar array — On June 7, 1973 Skylab 2 astronauts Pete Conrad and Joe Kerwin embarked on a spacewalk to repair the Skylab Orbital Workshop’s partially opened solar array. In this photo, Kerwin is shown cutting a metal strap to free and deploy the solar array.
NASA

Astronaut Joseph Kerwin forms perfect sphere with a water droplet — Scientist-astronaut Joseph P. Kerwin, Skylab 2 science pilot, forms a sphere by blowing water droplets from a straw in zero-gravity. He is in the crew quarters of the Skylab Orbital Workshop in June 1973.
NASA

Astronauts Ken Mattingly and Joe Kerwin in mission control during the Apollo 13 mission — Joseph P. Kerwin (on the right) served as one of the spacecraft communicators for the nail-biting Apollo 13 mission. Astronaut Thomas K. (Ken) Mattingly II, who was scheduled as a prime crew member for the Apollo 13 lunar landing mission but was replaced in the final hours when it was discovered he had been exposed to measles, is seated next to him.
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Joe Kerwin in the Skylab sleeping bag — Joseph Kerwin wearing the Sleep Monitoring cap (Experiment M133) during the Skylab-2 mission. The Sleep Monitoring Experiment was a medical evaluation designed to objectively determine the amount and quality of crew members’ inflight sleep.
NASA

Biography

Joseph P. Kerwin

Joe Kerwin, one of NASA's first scientist-astronauts, served as a science-pilot for the Skylab 2 (SL-2) mission.

After Skylab 2, Kerwin served as NASA’s senior science representative in Australia. Later, as the Director of Space and Life Sciences at the Johnson Space Center, Kerwin directed the medical support initiatives of NASA’s manned spacecraft program.

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Official astronaut portrait for Joseph P. Kerwin

Astronaut Joseph P. Kerwin in 1971.

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All Crewed Missions

Skylab 2

The first crew to the Skylab space station, launched on May 25, 1973, had an added responsibility for their mission: save Skylab!

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NASA Appel Knowledge Services

NASA's First Scientist-Astronauts

Read Dr. Kerwin's memories of being selected among NASA's first scientist-astronauts in 1965, as well as his experiences working with Skylab and life science research activities in space.

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Portrait of 5 scientist-astronauts chosen in 1965

Five scientist-astronauts whose selection was announced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on June 29, 1969. Front row, left to right, are P. Curtis Michel,(physicist); Harrison H. Schmitt (astrogeologist); and Joseph F. Kerwin (physician). Back row, left to right, are Owen K. Garriott (physicist); and Edward G. Gibson (physicist).

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Joseph P. Kerwin

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Oral History with Joseph P. Kerwin

Paul Weitz and Joe Kerwin try on their spacesuits at Johnson Space Center during training

May 12, 2000

Learn more about Dr. Joseph P. Kerwin's experiences in this transcript from a May 12, 2000 interview undertaken as part of the Johnson Space Center Oral History Project.