Long-duration NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, 88, dies

Long-duration astronaut Owen Garriott, who spent 70 days in space in the 1970s and 80s, died at his Alabama home on Tuesday, according to NASA.

The Oklahoma-born Navy veteran, engineer and scientist was 88.

Garriott first took flight in July 1973 for a nearly two-month science stay aboard Skylab, the United States' first space station that stayed in orbit until 1979. The agency considers lessons learned from Skylab to have paved the way for the International Space Station, which has now been in orbit for 20 years.

For his final flight, Garriott launched on space shuttle Columbia in November 1983 as a mission specialist. He became the first astronaut to participate in amateur radio operations from space during the mission.

After his days as an astronaut, Garriott would hold positions at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, as well as being a consultant after leaving NASA. He was also involved in deep-ocean dives and trips to Antarctica for scientific research purposes.

"Not only was he a bright scientist and astronaut, he and his crewmates set the stage for international cooperation in human spaceflight," Chief Astronaut Pat Forrester said in a NASA release.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.