![]() Debris showered Western Australia, and recovered pieces indicated that the station had disintegrated lower than expected. Before re-entry, NASA ground controllers tried to adjust Skylab's orbit to minimize the risk of debris landing in populated areas, targeting the south Indian Ocean, which was partially successful. Skylab's atmospheric reentry began on July 11, 1979, amid worldwide media attention. Later plans to reuse Skylab were stymied by delays in the development of the Space Shuttle, and Skylab's decaying orbit could not be stopped. The record for human time spent in orbit was extended beyond the 23 days set by the Soyuz 11 crew aboard Salyut 1 to 84 days by the Skylab 4 crew. Astronauts took thousands of photographs of Earth, and the Earth Resources Experiment Package (EREP) viewed Earth with sensors that recorded data in the visible, infrared, and microwave spectral regions. The Apollo Telescope significantly advanced solar science, and observation of the Sun was unprecedented. This was the first time that a repair of this magnitude was performed in space. The first crew deployed a replacement heat shade and freed the jammed solar panels to save Skylab. This deprived Skylab of most of its electrical power and also removed protection from intense solar heating, threatening to make it unusable. ![]() The station was damaged during launch when the micrometeoroid shield tore away from the workshop, taking one of the main solar panel arrays with it and jamming the other main array. Astronauts conducted numerous experiments aboard Skylab during its operational life.įor the final two crewed missions to Skylab, NASA assembled a backup Apollo CSM/Saturn IB in case an in-orbit rescue mission was needed, but this vehicle was never flown. The rear of the station included a large waste tank, propellant tanks for maneuvering jets, and a heat radiator. Electrical power came from solar arrays and fuel cells in the docked Apollo CSM. Skylab included the Apollo Telescope Mount (a multi-spectral solar observatory), a multiple docking adapter with two docking ports, an airlock module with extravehicular activity (EVA) hatches, and the orbital workshop, the main habitable space inside Skylab. Three subsequent missions delivered three-astronaut crews in the Apollo CSM launched by the smaller Saturn IB rocket. This was the final flight for the rocket more commonly known for carrying the crewed Apollo Moon landing missions. It was launched uncrewed into low Earth orbit by a Saturn V rocket modified to be similar to the Saturn INT-21, with the S-IVB third stage not available for propulsion because the orbital workshop was built out of it. Skylab had a mass of 199,750 pounds (90,610 kg) with a 31,000-pound (14,000 kg) Apollo command and service module (CSM) attached and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and several hundred life science and physical science experiments. participation shifted to the International Space Station in 1993. A permanent station was planned starting in 1988, but its funding was canceled and U.S. Unable to be re-boosted by the Space Shuttle, which was not ready until 1981, Skylab's orbit eventually decayed, and it disintegrated in the atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris across the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.Īs of 2023, Skylab was the only space station operated exclusively by the United States. Major operations included an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, Earth observation, and hundreds of experiments. ![]() It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. (32 cm) long, and 11 in.Skylab was the United States' first space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. Space Station dimensions – When built, the Lunar Space Station measures over 5 in.A gift for all occasions – This LEGO® toy can be given as a birthday, holiday, or any-other-day gift for children aged 6 and up.Designed for creative play – This toy space station includes science and botany labs, sleeping quarters, and a docking space capsule.What’s in the box? – Everything kids need to build a Lunar Space Station with a docking space capsule, plus 5 astronaut minifigures.LEGO® City space-themed playset – The LEGO City Lunar Space Station is packed with NASA-inspired features and functions for imaginative space play.
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