Skylab Space Station

On May 14, 1973, the United States launched its first space station, the Skylab, into orbit. Launched into space by a Saturn V. Rocket, the Skylab was to serve as a science and engineering laboratory in space.
 
NASA chose the name "Skylab" for this space station after a naming contest was held. To date, it is the only space station the United States has launched independently. The International Space Station (ISS), an ongoing aerospace project in which the United Space plays a role, is the project of many countries.

Building the Skylab Space Station

The aerospace manufacturer McConnell Douglas contracted with NASA in August 1969 to build an orbital workshop station that would become known as Skylab. McConnell Douglas re-configured an S-IVB second stage Saturn IB booster, a rocket designed specifically for launching spacecraft or other loads into the Earth's orbit.
 
The Skylab space station consisted of five parts:
  • multiple docking adaptor: This adaptor made it possible for more than one Apollo spacecraft to dock at the Skylab at one time.

  • the airlock module: Astronauts used this part of the Skylab to "go outside" for space walks.

  • the Apollo telescope mount (ATM): The ATM allowed scientists to study the sun, stars and Earth without the interference of the atmosphere.

  • the orbital workshop: This area was where the crew lived and worked during their stay at the Skylab space station.

  • the Saturn Instrument Unit (IU): The IU made it possible for NASA programmers in Huntsville, Ala., to control the computers and angle of the ATM. The UI also started live support systems and guided the Skylab into orbit.
Skylab Specifications
These measurements will give you a better idea of the scope of the Skylab. The Skylab:
  • had a diameter of 22 feet
  • took up 10,000 cubic feet
  • was 118 feet high
  • weighed 100 tons.
 
Two Skylab Space Stations were built, both designed to be able to be launched into space. The backup Skylab, which was never launched into orbit, is on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Skylab Space Station's Purpose

The Skylab helped scientists learn more about the Earth, the sun and living and working in space. Scientists used the Skylab to conduct both scientific and technological experiments. Similarly, they tested how the human body dealt with long-term space flights.

The Skylab Missions

The Skylab remained in orbit for 2,248 days (just over 6 years). Astronauts completed three manned missions to the space station. During these three missions, astronauts performed 10 space walks that covered the course of 42 total hours and 16 minutes.

Skylab 1 Mission (SL-1)

Skylab 1, the initial unmanned launch of the Skylab into space, was launched into space by a two-stage Saturn V. Rocket on May 14, 1973. Unfortunately, the Skylab space station was severely damaged during its launch into orbit. A meteoroid shield and one of the station's two solar panels was ripped off.
 
This resulted in the Skylab being low on power and the interior temperature rising to 126°F. The first manned crew arrived two weeks later and went on a space walk to extensively repair the Skylab.

Skylab 2 Mission (SL-2)

Skylab 2, the first manned mission to the Skylab space station, lasted 28 days and 50 minutes. The crew was supposed to depart the day after the Skylab space station was launched into orbit, but they had to wait until they figured out a way to fix the damage sustained in the initial launch. The crew of the Skylab 2 mission was:
  • Charles C. Conrad Jr. (the third man to walk on the moon)
  • Joseph P. Kerwin
  • Paul J. Weitz.

After the crew made necessary repairs to the Skylab and restored the interior temperature, they conducted astronomy and Earth resource experiments, as well as medical studies and student experiments.

The crew returned to Earth on June 22, 1973, establishing a record for human space flight duration. Another groundbreaking record set by the first Skylab crew was the fact that they were the first astronaut crew to return from a space station visit alive.

Skylab 3 Mission (SL-3)

Skylab 3 was launched on July 28, 1973. The crew aboard were:
  • Alan L. Bean
  • Jack R. Lousma
  • Owen K. Garriott.
An engine leak detected by Lousma on the way to the Skylab space station caused fears that the crew would be unable to return to Earth alive. While a rescue mission was planned to send two more astronauts into space, it proved unnecessary. After a 59-day, 11-hour mission, the crew of SL-3 safely returned to earth on Sept. 25, 1973.

Skylab 4 Mission (SL-4)

The final manned mission to the Skylab space station was launched on Nov. 15, 1973. The final crew to visit the Skylab included:
  • Edward G. Gibson
  • Gerald P. Carr
  • William R. Pogue.
The crew observed the sun for more than 700 hours and returned 175,000 solar pictures to earth. After the SL-4 mission was completed, the crew returned to Earth after 84 days and one hour on Feb. 8, 1974. The crew orbited the Earth 1,214 times during the mission.

The End of the Skylab Space Station

After astronauts abandoned the Skylab space station in February 1974, the Skylab remained in orbit until July 11, 1979. It fell to Earth during the course of its 34,981st orbit, scattering burning debris over western Australia and the Indian Ocean.
 
The largest fragment of Skylab recovered is on display at the United States Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.
 
Resources
 
NASA (2008). Skylab. Retrieved February 5, 2008, from the Goddard Space Flight Center Web site.
 
Space Travel (2003). Skylab 30 Years Later. Retrieved February 5, 2008, from the Space Travel Exploration and Tourism Web site.
 
Stathopoulos, Vic (2008). Skylab Space Station. Retrieved February 5, 2008, from the Aerospace Guide Web site.