Essay/Term paper: Skylab

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Social Issues

Skylab

Skylab was America's first experimental space station. Some of Skylab's program
objectives were: To prove that humans could live and work in space for extended
periods, and to expand our knowledge of solar astronomy well beyond Earth-based
observations. Skylab made much use of Saturn and Apollo equipment. Through the
use of a "dry" third stage of the Saturn V rocket, the station was completely
made as a workshop area before launch. Crews visited Skylab and returned to
earth in the Apollo spacecraft.

THE FLIGHTS

Skylab's 1st unmanned mission

May 14, 1973

The station was launched into orbit by a Saturn V booster. Almost immediately,
problems developed due to vibrations during lift-off. A critical meteoroid
shield ripped off taking one of the craft's two solar panels with it; a piece of
the shield wrapped around the other panel keeping it from deploying.

Skylab was maneuvered so its Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) solar panels faced the
Sun to provide as much electricity as possible. Because of the loss of the
meteoroid shield, however, this positioning caused workshop temperatures to rise
to 126 degrees F. The launch of Skylab 2 was postponed 10 days while NASA
engineers developed procedures and trained the crew to make the workshop
habitable. At the same time, engineers "rolled" Skylab to lower the temperature
of the workshop.

Skylab's 2nd manned mission - May 25th to June 22nd

Astronauts;
Charles Conrad, Jr.
Paul J. Weitz
Joseph P. Kerwin

The crew meats with Skylab on the fifth orbit. After making many repairs,
including deployment of parasol sunshade which cooled the inside temperatures to
75 degrees F, by June 4 the workshop was in full operation. In orbit the crew
conducted solar Earth resources experiments, medical studies, and five student
experiments; 404 orbits and 392 experiment hours were completed; three EVAs
that totaled six hours, 20 minuets.

Skylab's 3rd manned mission - July 28th to September 25th, 1973

Astronauts;
Alan L. Bean
Jack R. Lousma
Owen K. Garriott

Continued maintenance of the space station and extensive scientific and medical
experiments. Completed 858 Earth orbits and 1,081 hours of solar and Earth
experiments; three EVAs totaled 13 hours, 43 minuets.

Skylab's 4th mission - November 16th, 1973 to February 8th 1974

Astronauts;
Gerald P. Carr
William R. Pogue
Edward G. Gibson

Last of the Skylab missions; included observation of the Comet Kohoutek among
numerous experiments. Competed 1,214 Earth orbits and four EVAs totaling 22
hours, 13 minuets. Three -man crews occupied the Skylab workshop for a total of
171 days, 13 hours. It was the site of nearly 300 scientific and technical
experiments. The empty Skylab spacecraft returned to Earth on July 11,
1979 scattering debris over the Indian Ocean and the sparsely
settled region of Western Australia. The chances of being hit by Skylab's debris
were 1 in 600 billion.