Skylab facts for kids

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Skylab
Station statistics
Skylab as photographed by its departing final crew (Skylab 4)
Skylab program insignia
COSPAR ID	1973-027A
Call sign	Skylab
Crew	3 per mission (9 total)
Launch	May 14, 1973 17:30:00 UTC
Carrier rocket	Saturn V
Launch pad	Kennedy Space Center LC-39A
Reentry	July 11, 1979 16:37:00 UTC near Perth, Australia
Mission status	Complete
Mass	170,000 lb (77,000 kg) w/o Apollo CSM
Length	82.4 feet (25.1 m) w/o Apollo CSM
Width	55.8 feet (17.0 m) w/ one solar panel
Height	36.3 feet (11.1 m) w/ telescope mount
Diameter	21.67 feet (6.6 m)
Pressurised volume	12,417 cu ft (351.6 m³)
Atmospheric pressure	5.0 psi (34 kPa) Oxygen 74%, nitrogen 26%
Perigee	269.7 mi (434.0 km)
Apogee	274.6 mi (441.9 km)
Orbital inclination	50°
Orbital period	93.4 min
Orbits per day	15.4
Days in orbit	2,249 days
Days occupied	171 days
No. of orbits	34,981
Distance travelled	~890,000,000 mi (1,400,000,000 km)
Statistics as of Re-entry July 11, 1979
Configuration
Skylab configuration as planned

Skylab was the first space station built by the United States. NASA launched it into space in May 1973. Astronauts lived and worked on Skylab for about 24 weeks. Three different crews, each with three astronauts, visited the station. These missions were called SL-2, SL-3, and SL-4.

Skylab was like a science lab in space. It had a workshop, a special telescope to study the Sun, and tools to observe Earth. Astronauts did hundreds of experiments there. Skylab could not be pushed higher into orbit by the Space Shuttle, which was not ready yet. So, in 1979, Skylab fell back into Earth's atmosphere and burned up over the Pacific Ocean.

What Was Skylab?
Images for kids
See also

What Was Skylab?

Skylab was the only space station ever operated only by the United States. It was a big step for space exploration. Before Skylab, the U.S. had plans for a permanent space station. However, those plans changed. Later, the U.S. joined other countries to build the International Space Station (ISS).

Skylab was launched without a crew. It went into low Earth orbit on a powerful Saturn V rocket. This rocket weighed about 77,000 kilograms (170,000 pounds). The Saturn V rocket was famous for sending astronauts to the Moon. Skylab's launch was the very last time a Saturn V rocket was used.

How Did Astronauts Get to Skylab?

After Skylab was in orbit, three-person crews flew to it. They used the Apollo command and service module (Apollo CSM). This spacecraft was launched by a smaller rocket called the Saturn IB. For the last two missions, NASA even had a backup Apollo CSM and Saturn IB ready. This was in case they needed to rescue astronauts from Skylab. Luckily, this rescue vehicle was never needed.

Skylab's Launch Day Problem

During its launch, Skylab was damaged. A protective shield, meant to stop tiny space rocks, ripped off. This shield also took one of the main solar panels with it. Another solar panel got stuck. This meant Skylab lost most of its electric power. It also lost protection from the Sun's intense heat. The station was in danger of becoming unusable.

The first crew to visit Skylab became heroes. They fixed the problem in space. They put up a new sunshade to keep Skylab cool. They also managed to free the stuck solar panel. This was the first time such a big repair was done in space.

What Was Inside Skylab?

Skylab had several main parts:

The Apollo Telescope Mount: This was a special observatory to study the Sun.
A multiple docking adapter: This part had two places where spacecraft could connect.
An airlock module: This had hatches for extravehicular activity (EVA), also known as spacewalks.
The orbital workshop: This was the main living and working area for the astronauts.

Skylab got its electricity from solar panels. When an Apollo spacecraft was docked, its fuel cells also provided power. At the back of Skylab, there was a large tank for waste. There were also tanks for fuel to move the station. A radiator helped keep the station cool.

What Did Astronauts Do on Skylab?

Astronauts did many experiments on Skylab. The solar telescope helped scientists learn a lot about the Sun. They took many amazing pictures of Earth. The Earth Resources Experiment Package (EREP) used sensors to study Earth. These sensors recorded data using visible light, infrared, and microwaves.

Skylab also broke records for how long humans could stay in space. The Skylab 4 crew stayed for 84 days. This was much longer than the previous record of 23 days. That record was set by the Soyuz 11 crew on the Salyut 1 space station.

Skylab's Final Days

NASA had hoped to use Skylab again. They wanted the Space Shuttle to visit it and push it higher into orbit. But the Space Shuttle was not ready in time. Skylab's orbit slowly got lower and lower.

Skylab began to fall back to Earth on July 11, 1979. People all over the world watched and wondered where it would land. NASA tried to control its fall. They aimed for the southern Indian Ocean to avoid populated areas. This worked mostly, but some pieces of Skylab landed in Western Australia. The recovered pieces showed that Skylab broke apart lower than expected.

After Skylab, NASA focused on building the Space Shuttle. Later space station projects included Spacelab, Shuttle-Mir, and Space Station Freedom. The Space Station Freedom project eventually became part of the International Space Station.

Images for kids

Von Braun's sketch of a Space Station based on conversion of a Saturn V stage, 1964
The floor grating of Skylab under construction
Launch of the modified Saturn V rocket carrying the Skylab space station
Skylab 3's Saturn IB at night, July 1973
Skylab in orbit in 1973 as flown, docking ports in view
Owen Garriott performing an EVA in 1973
Spider Anita flown aboard Skylab
Chart for the ED 24 experiment
A labeled illustration of a Skylab film vault, from Skylab: A Guidebook (EP-107) by NASA
Skylab could change its attitude without using propellant by changing the spin of large gyroscopes.
Astronaut Jack Lousma in the shower with curtain partially down, July 1973
Conrad in the Skylab shower in 1973
Earth testing showing partially and fully enclosed positions of the shower curtain
A view of the Skylab space station taken with a hand-held 70 mm Hasselblad camera using a 100 mm lens and SO-368 medium speed Ektachrome film
Hurricane Ellen of 1973, as seen from Skylab
The island of Crete as photographed on June 22, 1973, from Skylab
Skylab as Skylab 2 mission departs
Computational cycle of the Skylab computer program
Skylab Rescue vehicle Apollo CSM being removed from its Saturn IB rocket after the last Skylab mission
Concept for proposed Skylab re-boost
Skylab in February 1974, as Skylab 4 departs
Skylab captured this view of the Sun
Solar prominence recorded by Skylab on August 21, 1973
Fragment of Skylab recovered after its re-entry through Earth's atmosphere, on display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center
5-person Apollo Command module for the Apollo Rescue mission
SA-209 served on standby for Skylab 4 and ASTP, and has been preserved at the Kennedy Space Center rocket garden.
Overview of most major experiments
The waste disposal equipment in the backup Skylab at the National Air and Space Museum.
A mannequin in the backup Skylab at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum.
Skylab commemorative stamp, issue of 1974. The commemorative stamp reflects initial repairs to the station, including the parasol sunshade.
Illustration of Skylab configuration with docked command and service module
Vanguard (T-AGM-19) seen as a NASA Skylab tracking ship. Note the tracking radar and telemetry antennas.
Robbins medallions issued for Skylab missions.
Space Center Houston Skylab 1-G Trainer mannequin.
A mannequin alongside the Skylab 1-G Trainer telescope at Manned Space Center, Houston.
A mannequin in the Skylab 1-G Trainer at Manned Space Center, Houston.
The main module S-IVB is a section of the Saturn V rocket.