Joseph Peter Kerwin

Kerwin, Joseph Peter

 

Born Feb. 19, 1932, in Oak Park, 111. US pilot and astronaut; physician. US Navy commander.

Kerwin received his doctor of medicine degree from Northwestern University in 1957. He served in the US Navy as a flight surgeon and, later, as a pilot. Kerwin became a member of the astronaut corps in 1965.

On a flight that began on May 25, 1973, and ended on June 22 of that year, Kerwin, C. Conrad, and P. Weitz became the first crew of the Skylab orbiting station, which had been launched on May 14. During the mission, which lasted 28 days 50 min, Kerwin and Conrad performed a space walk that lasted 4 hr 15 min.