Almost immediately after its launch on May 14, 1973, Skylab encountered problems. The space station’s micrometeoroid shield, thermal shield, and one of its solar panels were lost, while the second solar panel was jammed. The station’s power system was also damaged. Eleven days after Skylab’s launch, its first crew arrived, repairing most of the damage and restoring power to the station. The crew remained for twenty-eight days and carried out a number of scientific experiments before returning to Earth.