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A History of Skylab. Includes Index

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A History of Skylab. Includes Index DOCUMENT RESUME ED 252 380 .SE 045 297 AUTHOR Compton, W. David; Benson, Charles D. TITLE Living and Working in Space: A Historyof Skylab. INSTITUTION National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration, Washington, D.C. REPORT NO NASA-SP-420R PUB DATE 83 NOTE 468p. AVAILABLE FROMSuperintendent of Documents, U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office, Washington, DC 20402. PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141) --Books (010) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC19 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Aerospace Education; *FederalPrograms; *Program Development; *Satellites (Aerospace);Science Education; *Science Experiments;*Science History; *Space Exploration; Space Sciences IDENTIFIERS National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration; *Skylab ABSTRACT The history of the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration Skylab program isprovided in this three-part book. Part I(chapters 1 to 5) traces theorigins of the Skylab concept from its emergence in theperiod 1962-65 through its evolutioninto final form in 1969. Part II(chapters 6 to 13) focuses on theperiod from 1969-73, considering thedevelopment of the spacecraftmodules, the experiments theycarried, and the preparations to launchand operate them. Chapter 6focuses on the program leader:', theproblems they faced, and the tools theyused to manage Skylab. Chapters7 through 11 deal with the majorexperimental programs and the spacecraft components. Houston'spreparations for directing the missions and the launching of Skylab aretreated in chapters 12 and 13 respectively. Part III(chapters 14 to 19) deals with theSkylab launch accident (the meteoroidshield ripped away, leaving the workshop exposed to solar heat anddisabling its solar panels), Skylab missions, program results(including medical andsolar/earth observation findings), and the endof Skylab. A summary ofmissions, list of major contractors, list ofexperiments, and additional documentation are included inappendices. (JN) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS arethe best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION I D A TIONAl RESUInit ES INFORMATION I /NW) (ERIC) has ben toptotitit011as titi owlet limn the person or OOpillO111011 onginatino It (NJ broom have been made to 'mound() LCSleptodui IronflodIlly Points oIVIOV% 01opinions ',GHIA in this duct, meet (10 1101 no. esSafily leptesent one Ial NIE positoull or pole. y 1... LIVING AND WORKING 'IN SPACE ./ A H4story of Skylab NA IR\lAl, AFRONAIrlICS AND SPACE AOM IN (STRATI ON J wN 4( Liu 2 I 3 1 Working Length Diameter Module Function Volume (m) (m) (cu m) Apollo Crow Ascent 10.5 3.9 10.4 Command Et Descent and Service Module Multiple Docking 5.3 3.1 32.3 Docking Telescope Adapter Et Earth. Resource Controls EI Displays Apollo Solar 4.1 Telescope Observation Mount 1 Airlock Power Control 5 4 3 1 17.3 Module EI Distribution & Fixed Envirth.mental Shroud Control t Misty Center Data System Extravehicular Activity Port Instrument Launch 0.9 6.6 Unit Vehicle Control Oibital Primary Living 14.7 66 210.2 Workshop Et Working Area Experiment Laboratory Stowage BEST tolOPY AVAILABLE 4 '-"r'''',..."., -Irr. tip V 0 NASA SP-4208 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IERICI This document has been reproduced as ireceived horn the pt.10 or otganitation onginating it MIMI changes ilaVI, been made lo improve rept oduc lion (plata Points Of view or opinions stated 1 this dont need do 1101 .VSSMIN represent &Ube NIE pusitionInpokey LIVING AND WORKING IN SPACE A History of Skylab W. David Compton and Charles D. Benson The NASA History Series Scientific and Technical Information Branch ;983 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, DC 6 NASA maintains an internal history program for two principal reasons. (1) Publication of official histories is one way in which NASA responds to the provision of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 that requires NASA to "provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof." (2) Thoughtful study of NASA history can help managers accom- plish the missions assigned to the agency. Understanding NASA's past aids in under- standing its present situation and illuminates possible future directions. One advantage of working on contemporary history is access to participants. During the research phase, the authors conducted numerous interviews. Subsequently they submit- ted parts of the manuscript to persons who had participated in or closely observed the events described. Readers were asked to point out errors of fact and questionable inter- pretations and to provide supporting evidence. The authors then made such changes as they believed justified. The opinions and conclusions set forth in this book are those of the authors; no official of the agency necessarily endorses those opinions or conclusions. Library of Congress cataloging in publication data Compton, W. David. Living and working in space: A history of Skylab. Includes Index. 1. Skylab Program. I. Benson, Charles D. II. Title. III. Series. IV. Series: NASA SP ; 4208. TL789.8.U6S5546 629.44'5 81-22424 AAC R2 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Contents PREFACE, Xi PART I. FROM CONCEPT THROUGH DECISION, 1962-1969, 1 I. WHAT TO Do FOR AN ENCORE: POST-APOLLO PLANS, 2 Directions for Manned Spaceflight, 7 Space Stations after 1962, 9 Sizing Up a Space Station, 11 Air Force Seeks Role in Space, 15 President Calls for NASA's Plans, 19 Mueller Opens Apollo Applications Program Office, 20 2. FROM SPENT STAGE TO ORBITAL CLUSTER, 1965-1966, 22 Early Proposals to Use Spent Stages, 23 Marshall Sponsors the Spent Stage, 26 Concept to Design: Bounding the Problem, 27 Concept to Design: Defining the Workshop, 30 The Cluster Concept, 36 3. APOLLO APPLICATIONS: "WEDNESDAY'S CHILD," 40 Initial Plans and Budgets, 40 Seeking New Justification, 43 AAP vs. MOL, 46 Center Roles and Missions, 48 Presidential Approval, 52 4. A SCIENCE PROGRAM FOR MANNED SPACEFLIGHT, 57 Science in Space to 1965, 57 Organizing for Manned Space Science, 59 Scientists and Man in Space, 63 Solar Observatories in Orbii, 69 Experiments for the Workshop, 76 More Advice from the Scientific Community, 79 CONTENTS 5. YEARS OF UNCERTAINTY, 1967-1969, 83 Impact of the Fire, 84 Problems with the Cluster Missions, 88 AAP under Internal Attack, 91 Shrinking Budgets and Shrinking Program, 99 The Wet Workshop Goes Dry, 104 Retrospect and Prospect, 111 PART II. DEVELOPMENT AND PREPARATIONS TO FLY, 1969-1973, 113 6. MANAGING THE DESIGN PHASE, 114 Moving Out of Apollo's Shadow, 114 A Second Skylab, 116 Management Tools, 118 The Problem of Changes, 125 The Problem of Reentry, 127 7. LIVING AND WORKING IN SPACE, 130 Habitability of Early Spacecraft, 130 Habitability of the Wet Workshop, 131 Contribution of Industrial Designers, 133 Habitability of the Dry Workshop, 135 The Food System, 140 Marshall Calls for a Reassessment, 144 8. THE MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS, 149 Defining the Experiments, 149 A Space Toilet, 152 Building the Medical Hardware, 159 A Simulation and What Came of It, 162 9. STUDYING THE SUN, 166 Solar Instruments, 166 Apollo Telescope Mount, 169 Mission Plans and Operating Procedures, 174 Technical Progress and Problems, 179 10. LATE ADDITIONS TO THE EXPERIMENTS, 182 Observing the Earth, 182 Earth-Resource Experiments, 185 Selecting the Investigators, 191 Flight Planning and Instrument Development, 192 Student Experiments, 194 vi 9 .; coNTENTs 11. PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER, 197 More Work for Contractors, 197 Test Program, 199 Module Development: Airlock and Docking Adapter, 200 Trainers and Mockups, 206 Module Development: The Workshop, 207 Reentry Reexamined, 212 12. PREPARATIONS FOR FLIGHT, 213 Defining Center Responsibilities, 213 Operations Planning in Houston, 215 Huntsville Organizes for Mission Support, 217 Test Pilot vs. Scientist- Astronaut. 218 Crew Training, 221 13. LAUNCHING SKYLAB, 231 Selecting the Launch Complex, 231 The Milkstool, 235 Preparing a Launch Plan, 237 Facility Modifications, 238 Handling the Experiments, 240 Relations with Huntsville, 241 Problems of New Hardware, 243 From Certification Review to Liftoff, 247 PART III. THE MISSIONS AND RESULTS, 1973-1979, 251 14. SAVING SKYLAB, 253 The Accident, 253 Maneuvering for Minimum Heat, Maximum Power, 257 Assessing the Heat's Effect, 258 Devising a Sunshade, 259 Plans to Increase Skylab's Power, 268 Launch and Docking, 269 Accomplishing the Repair, 271 Investigation Board, 276 15. THE FIRST MISSION, 279 Private Communications, 279 Physical Fitness in Space, 283 Flight Planning: The Astronauts' View, 287 Fight Planning: The Investigators' View, 288 The Long-Awaited Solar Flare, 290 Critique of the First Mission, 291 vii CONTENTS 16. THE SECOND MISSION, 295 Motion Sickness, 295 A Rescue Mission? 298 Deploying the Twin-Pole Sunshade, 300 Solar Viewing, 302 Earth-Resource and Corollary Experiments, 303 More Mechanical Problems, 306 A Routine Day in Space, 307 A Team of Overachievers, 310 17. THE LAST MISSION, 312 Changes to the Mission, 312 An Error in Judgment, 314 Activation, 316 Getting to Work, 319 First Month's Accomplishments, 323 A Comet for Christmas, 324 Carr Calls for an Assessment, 326 Around the World for 84 Days, 330 Coming Back, 334 18. RESULTS, 339 Medical Findings, 339 Solar Observations, 342 Earth Observations,
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