Remembering The Nasa skylab program
By zteve t evans
Skylab was America’s first experimental space station. It was launched by NASA who were also responsible for its operation.
The two main objectives of Skylab
According to NASA there were two main objectives that they wanted to achieve with it. Firstly, they wanted to prove
that humans could, live, work and operate in space for long periods of time. Secondly they wanted to extend their knowledge of solar astronomy beyond the limited observations that could be obtained from earth. To achieve these objectives it needed to be designed and built to greatly surpass the working duration of previous missions.
The first Skylab mission
The first mission was to put the station into its position in space. This was an unmanned mission where Skylab was transported into orbit by a Saturn V rocket. This ran into a number of technical problems from the start. An important meteorite shield broke during lift off, which also broke off a solar panel. Part of the shield became stuck on the other panel stopping it from working.
In an attempt to obtain as much electricity as possible Skylab was maneuvered in its orbit so that the solar panels of the Apollo Telescope Mount were positioned to best take advantage of the Sun. However, with the meteorite shield out of action temperatures inside Skylab heated up to 52 degrees Celsius.
This forced NASA to postpone the Skylab 2 mission for 10 days which were to be manned. During this time NASA developed new procedures and gave the crew training in how to manage the situation aboard. Skylab was also moved into a position which would keep the station cooler inside.
According to NASA there were two main objectives that they wanted to achieve with it. Firstly, they wanted to prove
that humans could, live, work and operate in space for long periods of time. Secondly they wanted to extend their knowledge of solar astronomy beyond the limited observations that could be obtained from earth. To achieve these objectives it needed to be designed and built to greatly surpass the working duration of previous missions.
The first Skylab mission
The first mission was to put the station into its position in space. This was an unmanned mission where Skylab was transported into orbit by a Saturn V rocket. This ran into a number of technical problems from the start. An important meteorite shield broke during lift off, which also broke off a solar panel. Part of the shield became stuck on the other panel stopping it from working.
In an attempt to obtain as much electricity as possible Skylab was maneuvered in its orbit so that the solar panels of the Apollo Telescope Mount were positioned to best take advantage of the Sun. However, with the meteorite shield out of action temperatures inside Skylab heated up to 52 degrees Celsius.
This forced NASA to postpone the Skylab 2 mission for 10 days which were to be manned. During this time NASA developed new procedures and gave the crew training in how to manage the situation aboard. Skylab was also moved into a position which would keep the station cooler inside.
The second Skylab mission
The second Skylab venture was also the first manned mission and was crewed by Commander Charles C. Conrad, Paul J. Weitz, the pilot and a scientist, Joseph Kerwin. They successfully rendezvoused with Skylab on their fifth orbit and commenced work to repair the damage to the station. They installed a parasol to act as a sunshade which reduced temperatures inside the station to 23.8 degrees Celsius making it fully functional.
The crew made 404 orbits of Earth and completed three extra-vehicular (EVA) activities lasting 6 hours and 20 minutes in total. They spent a total time of 28 days and 50 minutes in space and spent 392 hours completing experiments to do
with Earth studies, astronomy and medical subjects.
The third Skylab mission
The third mission was manned by Commander Alan L. Bean, the pilot, Jack R. Lousma and Owen K Garrott, a scientist, between July 28, 1973, and Sept. 25, 1973. This crew completed 858 orbits of Earth, and spent 1,081 hours working on medical, solar, and Earth study experiments. They spent a total of 13 hours 43 minutes on EVAs and were in space for 59 days and 11 hours.
The fourth Skylab mission
The fourth and last Skylab mission between November 16, 1973 and February 8, 1974 had a crew comprising of by Commander Gerald P. Carr, the pilot, William R. Pogue, and scientist, Edward G. Gibson. They spent 84 days and one hour in space and performed four EVAs lasting a total of 22 hours and 13 minutes. They completed 1,212 orbits of Earth and took the rare opportunity to photograph and observe a comet called Kohutek
The success of Skylab
All in all, the Skylab program was hugely successful for NASA. It opened up new frontiers in space exploration and greatly improved and enhanced space technology and science and also astronomy. A great deal was discovered about how humans cope in space and well they manage and adapt when things go wrong.
In 1979, the end came when Skylab finally entered the Earth’s atmosphere causing it to break up and spread debris across the Indian Ocean to a sparsely populated area of Australia where it finally smashed into the Earth.
© 05/12/2013 zteve t evans
The second Skylab venture was also the first manned mission and was crewed by Commander Charles C. Conrad, Paul J. Weitz, the pilot and a scientist, Joseph Kerwin. They successfully rendezvoused with Skylab on their fifth orbit and commenced work to repair the damage to the station. They installed a parasol to act as a sunshade which reduced temperatures inside the station to 23.8 degrees Celsius making it fully functional.
The crew made 404 orbits of Earth and completed three extra-vehicular (EVA) activities lasting 6 hours and 20 minutes in total. They spent a total time of 28 days and 50 minutes in space and spent 392 hours completing experiments to do
with Earth studies, astronomy and medical subjects.
The third Skylab mission
The third mission was manned by Commander Alan L. Bean, the pilot, Jack R. Lousma and Owen K Garrott, a scientist, between July 28, 1973, and Sept. 25, 1973. This crew completed 858 orbits of Earth, and spent 1,081 hours working on medical, solar, and Earth study experiments. They spent a total of 13 hours 43 minutes on EVAs and were in space for 59 days and 11 hours.
The fourth Skylab mission
The fourth and last Skylab mission between November 16, 1973 and February 8, 1974 had a crew comprising of by Commander Gerald P. Carr, the pilot, William R. Pogue, and scientist, Edward G. Gibson. They spent 84 days and one hour in space and performed four EVAs lasting a total of 22 hours and 13 minutes. They completed 1,212 orbits of Earth and took the rare opportunity to photograph and observe a comet called Kohutek
The success of Skylab
All in all, the Skylab program was hugely successful for NASA. It opened up new frontiers in space exploration and greatly improved and enhanced space technology and science and also astronomy. A great deal was discovered about how humans cope in space and well they manage and adapt when things go wrong.
In 1979, the end came when Skylab finally entered the Earth’s atmosphere causing it to break up and spread debris across the Indian Ocean to a sparsely populated area of Australia where it finally smashed into the Earth.
© 05/12/2013 zteve t evans
References and Attributions
Copyright December 5, 2013 zteve t evans
Copyright December 5, 2013 zteve t evans
- Image - File:Skylab 3 flyaround.jpg – Public Domain - From Wikipedia,
- Image - Skylab and Earth Limb - GPN-2000-001055 - Public Domain
- Skylab Mission Goals
- Skylab, From Wikipedia
- Part I - The History of Skylab | NASA