Skylab Mission
Skylab
Skylab was as space station
launched and operated by NASA and was the United States’ first space station.
Skylab orbited the earth from 1973 to 1979 and included a workshop, a solar
observatory and other systems. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V
rocket, with a weight of 169,950 pounds. Three
manned missions to the station, conducted between 1973 and 1974 using the Apollo Command, each delivered a three-astronaut crew.
The mission was categorized into manned and unmanned mission. skylab 1 is
unmanned mission where as unmanned mission is skylab 2,3 and 4. Picture 1 below
show the crew members of skylab.
Picture 1 : Skylab Crews
Skylab mission
goal
America's first experimental space station. Designed for long duration mission, Skylab program objectives were twofold:
i. To prove that humans could live and work in space for extended periods.
ii. To expand our knowledge of solar astronomy well beyond Earth-based observations.
Successful in all respects despite early mechanical difficulties, 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: medical experiments on humans' adaptability to zero gravity, solar observations, and detailed Earth resources experiments. The empty Skylab spacecraft returned to Earth July 11, 1979 scattering debris over the Indian Ocean and the sparsely settled region of Western Australia.
The station
Skylab made extensive use of Saturn and Apollo equipment. Through the use
of a "dry" third stage of the Saturn V rocket, the station was
completely outfitted as a workshop area before launch. Crews visited Skylab and
returned to earth in Apollo spacecraft.
Skylab flight
summary
May
14, 1973 - February 18, 1974
1) Skylab
1 (May 14, 1973)
Unmanned the station was launched into orbit by Saturn V booster. Almost immediately, technical 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 facedthe 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 52 degrees Celsius (126 degrees F). The launch of Skylab 2 was postponed while NASA engineers, in an intensive 10-day period, 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.
2) Skylab 2 (May 25, 1973 - June 22, 1973)
Charles Conrad, Jr., Paul J.
Weitz, Joseph P. Kerwin; 28 days, 50 minutes First manned mission. The crew
rendezvoused with Skylab on the fifth orbit. After making substantial repairs,
including deployment of a parasol sunshade which cooled the inside temperatures
to 23.8 degrees C (75 degrees F), by June 4 the workshop was in full operation.
In orbit the crew conducted solar astronomy and Earth resources
experiments, medical studies, and five student experiments; 404 orbits and 392
experiment hours were completed; three EVAs total six hours, 20 minutes.
First manned mission to skylab
3) Skylab 3 (July 28, 1973 - September 25, 1973)
Alan L. Bean, Jack R. Lousma,
Owen K. Garriott; 59 days, 11 hours 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 minutes.
Second
manned mission to skylab
4) Skylab 4 (November 16, 1973 - February 8, 1974)
Gerald P. Carr, William R. Pogue,
Edward G. Gibson; 84 days, 01 hour Last of the Skylab missions; included
observation of the Comet Kohoutek among numerous experiments. Completed 1,214
Earth orbits and four EVAs totaling 22 hours, 13 minutes.
Third
manned mission to skylab
Penulis: Nur Munirah Binti Mustapa (UTM) , 3/1/2015
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