Jack R . Lousma Jack Robert Lousma ( born February 29 , 1936 ) is a former NASA astronaut and politician . He was a member of the second manned crew on the Skylab space station in 1973 . In 1982 , he commanded STS - 3 , the third space shuttle mission . Lousma was later the Republican nominee for a seat in the United States Senate from Michigan in 1984 , losing to Carl Levin . Personal Info . Lousma was born in Grand Rapids , Michigan . He is of Frisian decent . Lousma and Gratia Kay were married in 1956 . They have four children , nine grandchildren , and one great - grandchild . Education . He graduated from Angell Elementary School , Tappan Middle School , and Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor , Michigan ; received a B . S . degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1959 , and a master degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U . S . Naval Postgraduate School in 1965 ; presented an honorary doctorate of Astronautical Science from the University of Michigan in 1973 , an honorary D . Sc . from Hope College in 1982 , and an honorary D . Sc . in Business Administration from Cleary College in 1986 . Organizations . He is a fellow of the American Astronautical Society ; member of the Society of the Sigma Xi , the University of Michigan " M " Club , the Officers ' Christian Fellowship , and the Association of Space Explorers . Special honors . Awarded the Johnson Space Center Certificate of Commendation ( 1970 ) ; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal ( 1973 ) ; presented the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and Navy Astronaut Wings ( 1974 ) , the City of Chicago Gold Medal ( 1974 ) , the Robert J . Collier Trophy for 1973 , the Marine Corps Aviation Association ' s Exceptional Achievement Award ( 1974 ) , the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale ' s V . M . Komarov Diploma for 1973 , the Dr . Robert H . Goddard Memorial Trophy for 1975 , the AIAA Octave Chanute Award for 1975 , the AAS Flight Achievement Award for 1974 ; inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame ( 1982 ) ; a second NASA Distinguished Service Medal ( 1982 ) , the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal ( 1982 ) , NCAA Silver Anniversary Award ( 1983 ) ; and inducted into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame ( 1988 ) . Experience . Lousma became a United States Marine Corps officer in 1959 and received his aviator wings in 1960 after completing training at the Naval Air Training Command . He was then assigned to VMA - 224 , 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 2nd MAW ) , as an attack pilot and later served with VMA - 224 , 1st Marine Air Wing , at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni , Japan . He was a reconnaissance pilot with VMCJ - 2 , 2nd MAW , at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point , North Carolina , before being assigned to the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston , Texas . He has logged 7 , 000 hours of flight time – including 700 hours in general aviation aircraft , 1 , 619 hours in space , 4 , 500 hours in jet aircraft , and 240 hours in helicopter s . NASA experience . Lousma was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966 . He served as a member of the astronaut support crews for the Apollo 9 , 10 , and 13 missions . He famously was the CAPCOM recipient of the " Houston , we ' ve had a problem " message from Apollo 13 . He may have also been selected as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 20 , which was canceled . He was the pilot for Skylab 3 ( July 28 to September 25 , 1973 ) and was commander on STS - 3 ( March 22 – 30 , 1982 ) , logging a total of over 1 , 619 hours in space . Lousma also spent 11 hours on two spacewalks outside the Skylab space station . He also served as backup docking module pilot of the United States flight crew for the Apollo - Soyuz Test Project ( ASTP ) mission which was completed successfully in July 1975 . Lousma left NASA on October 1 , 1983 and retired from the Marine Corps on November 1 , 1983 . Space flight experience . Skylab 3 ( SL - 3 ) ( July 28 to September 25 , 1973 ) . The crew on this 59½ day flight included Alan L . Bean ( spacecraft commander ) , Lousma ( pilot ) , and Owen K . Garriott ( science - pilot ) . SL - 3 accomplished 100 % of mission goals while completing 858 revolutions of the earth and traveling some 24 , 400 , 000 miles in earth orbit . The crew installed six replacement rate gyros used for attitude control of the spacecraft and a twin - pole sunshade used for thermal control , and they repaired nine major experiment or operational equipment items . They devoted 305 man hours to extensive solar observations from above the Earth ' s atmosphere , which included viewing two major solar flare s and numerous smaller flares and coronal transient s . Also acquired and returned to earth were 16 , 000 photographs and 18 miles of magnetic tape documenting earth resources observations . The crew completed 333 medical experiment performances and obtained valuable data on the effects of extended weightlessness on humans . Skylab 3 ended with a Pacific Ocean splashdown and recovery by the USS " New Orleans " . STS - 3 , the third orbital test flight of Space Shuttle " Columbia " , launched from the Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on March 22 , 1982 , into a 180 - mile circular orbit above the earth . Lousma was the spacecraft commander and C . Gordon Fullerton was the pilot on this eight - day mission . Major flight test objectives included exposing the Columbia to extremes in thermal stress and the first use of the 50 - foot Remote Manipulator System ( RMS ) to grapple and maneuver a Payload in space . The crew also operated several scientific experiments in the orbiter ' s cabin and on the OSS - 1 pallet in the payload bay . Space Shuttle " Columbia " responded favorably to the thermal tests and was found to be better than expected as a scientific platform . The crew accomplished almost 100 percent of the objectives assigned to STS - 3 , and after a one - day delay due to bad weather , landed on the lakebed at White Sands , New Mexico , on March 30 , 1982 , the only shuttle flight to land at White Sands . " Columbia " traveled 3 . 4 million miles during 129 . 9 orbits of the earth and mission duration was 192 hours , 4 minutes , 49 seconds . Political experience . In 1984 , Lousma ran for the U . S . Senate as a Republican against Carl Levin , the incumbent senator from Michigan , but lost , receiving 47 % of the vote . Lousma survived a bitter primary fight against former Republican congressman Jim Dunn to capture the nomination with 63 % of the vote . Ronald Reagan ' s landslide reelection was a boon to Lousma , but he was hurt late in the campaign when video surfaced of him telling a group of Japanese auto manufacturers that his family owned a Toyota . This did not play well in the Detroit area . TV work . In 1988 , Lousma commentated on the STS - 26 launch for ITN on British television , reflecting the media interest in the first Shuttle flight following the " Challenger " disaster . During the ascent , as Lousma described the abort modes as they became available , the show ' s host Alastair Burnet quickly asked Lousma which abort mode he preferred ; " Abort to Orbit " came the quick reply . Lousma in the movies . Lousma was portrayed by Quinn Redeker in the 1974 TV movie " Houston , We ' ve Got a Problem " .