This is an oral history interview with former NASA astronaut and science pilot for the first SkyLab mission, Joseph Kerwin. SkyLab was America’s first Space Station. Kerwin’s mission was to repair SkyLab and conduct scientific experiments in space, including tests in weightlessness. In the first half of this two-part interview, Kerwin discusses the process of becoming an astronaut, his experience as a capsule communicator for Apollo 13 and how NASA prepared for the first extended stay in space. This interview is part of the Johnson Space Center’s Oral History Project.