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Garriott was born Nov. 22, 1930, in Enid and graduated from Enid High School in 1948, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1953.
Serving as an electronics officer in the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1956, he then received a master of science degree in 1957 from Stanford University and a doctorate in 1960, according to the OHS. He taught electronics and physics at Stanford and was selected as a scientist-astronaut by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in June 1965.
Receiving jet pilot qualification, Garriott completed the U.S. Air Force Pilot Training Program in 1966 and was awarded an honorary doctorate of science degree from Phillips University in 1973.
Garriott's initial space flight on Skylab 3 was from July 28 to Sept. 25, 1973, according to OHS. On this mission, he and his two crewmates conducted major experiments in science and medicine for a total of 1,427 hours in space. In three separate space walks outside the Skylab, Garriott spent 13 hours and 43 minutes.
According to NASA, his 1973 Skylab flight set a world record with a duration of approximately 60 days, which more than doubled the standing record.
On Nov. 28, 1983, Garriott made his second space flight aboard the Space Shuttle STS-9, which included the first flight of the Spacelab 1 international science station. That mission carried the first international shuttle crew and payload specialists. On this flight, he also conducted the first manned amateur radio operations in space.
Garriott later worked as a consultant for various aerospace companies. From 1988 to 1993, he served as vice president of space programs at Teledyne Brown Engineering and was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1973 and the NASA Space Flight Medal a decade later.
Garriott's son, video-game developer Richard Garriott, was a pioneering space tourist to the International Space Station aboard Soyuz TMA-13 in 2008.
"The astronauts, scientists and engineers at Johnson Space Center are saddened by the loss of Owen Garriott," Chief Astronaut Pat Forrester told NASA. "We remember the history he made during the Skylab and space shuttle programs that helped shape the space program we have today. Not only was he a bright scientist and astronaut, he and his crewmates set the stage for international cooperation in human spaceflight."
The portion of U.S. 412 that goes through Enid is named Owen K. Garriott Road after our hometown astronaut.
Garriott is survived by his wife, Eve; children, Randall Garriott (Kathy) of Walhalla, S.C., Robert Garriott (Marcy) of Austin, Texas, Richard Garriott de Cayeux (Laetitia) of New York City, and Linda Garriott (Jeff Stamp) of Dripping Springs, Texas; stepchildren, Cindy Burcham (Steve) of Huntsville, Ala., Bill Eyestone (Heather) of St. Augustine, Fla., and Sandra Brooks (Stephen) of Madison, Ala.; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.