High-Tech America - Space Stations/High-Tech America - Space Stations (1995)(American MPC Research).iso/data/gcx001.doc

Text File | 1995-09-14 | 4KB | 55 lines

Skylab, AmericaÆs first manned space station, was designed to study the ability of humans
to live and work in space over a prolonged period of time while conducting scientific
observation of the Earth and Sun.  Created during the heyday of the Apollo program,
Skylab was assembled from the upper-stage of a Saturn V rocket, the booster used to
launch Apollo spacecraft.  This same launch vehicle was used to put the 84 ton station into
an orbit measuring 275 by 269 miles at 50 degree inclination.

The space station consisted of an orbital workshop 48 feet long and 21 feet in diameter
where astronauts could eat, sleep, exercise, and work.  A smaller docking adapter with an
airlock gave astronauts access to docked spacecraft and outer space.  A telescope mount
on the docking adapter contained solar telescopes and Earth sensors; it also supported
four solar arrays in a ôwindmillö configuration.

Six photovoltaic arrays were to supply electricity to the station; however, during liftoff
one large array was ripped off the side of the ascending Skylab along with a
micrometeorite shield, intended to protect the living space from the heat of the Sun.
Further, the remaining large solar ôwingö was stuck, leaving the station with very little
power.

Without its protective shield, the interior temperature of the station reached a dangerous
190 F.  SkylabÆs first crew deployed a replacement sunshade made of nylon, mylar, and
aluminum foil which cooled the orbital workshop.  Two astronauts, Conrad and Kerwin,
made a space-walk to release the stuck solar ôwingö to supply more power.  After making
the station habitable again, the crew conducted research on the Sun, capturing the first
pictures of solar flares ever made from above the atmosphere.

Three crews of three men each inhabited Skylab, ferried to the space station in Apollo
Command Modules launched on Saturn 1-B rockets.  These crews made the first truly
long-duration missions in the American space program, acquiring experience on the
problems of life in zero-g.  Motion sickness hit four of the nine crewmen while in orbit,
and sleeping was difficult due to noise made by the space station.  Because of the
workshopÆs low atmospheric pressure, crewmembers had to shout to be heard.

After two of four thrusters on their Apollo Command Module failed, the second Skylab
mission was almost aborted by Mission Control.  However, a plan was devised for the safe
return of the astronauts using the two good thrusters, and the astronauts stayed in orbit
for several weeks.  They collected data on land and water resources as well as  performing
experiments on the effects of microgravity.

The third crew of Skylab consisted of three rookies.  The crew felt they were being
pushed too hard by Mission Control and were uncooperative for some time.  Eventually,
they conducted much scientific research, including experiments in making metal alloys in
zero-g.  They observed the comet Kohoutek as it approached the Sun, and conducted
more than 22 hours of Extra-Vehicular Activity, including a 7 hour EVA on Christmas
Day, 1973.

Five years after the last crew left, Skylab descended back toward Earth.  On July 11,
1979, the space station burned up while entering the EarthÆs atmosphere; some debris
scattered over the Indian Ocean and western Australia.  The project gathered an immense
amount of scientific data, including more than 750,000 pictures of the Sun and 46,000
photographs of the Earth, while providing essential information on humans living in space.