Living and Working in Space: A History of Skylab PDF
Preview Living and Working in Space: A History of Skylab
LIVING AND WORKING IN SPACE NASA SP-4208 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 1983 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, DC 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 L'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. 11. Title. 111. Series. IV. Series: NASA SP ; 4208. TL789.8.UbS5546 629.44'5 81-22424 AACR2 For sale bv the Su~erintendento f Documents. U.S. Government Printing Office " Washington, D.c.' 20402 Contents 1. WHATT O DO FOR AN ENCOREP: OST-APOLLOP LANS,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. FROMS PENTS TAGET O ORBITALC LUSTER1, 965-1966,22 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 T h e Cluster Concept, 36 3. APOLLOA PPLICATIONS"W: EDNESDAY'CSH ILD," 40 Initial Plans and Budgets, 40 Seeking New Justification, 43 AAP vs. MOL, 46 Center Roles and Missions, 48 Presidential Approval, 52 4. A SCIENCEP ROGRAMFO R MANNEDS PACEFLIGHT57, Science in Space to 1965, 57 Organizing for Manned Space Science, 59 Scientists and Man in Space, 63 Solar Observatories in Orbit, 69 Experiments for the Workshop, 76 More Advice from the Scientific Community, 79 CONTENTS 5. YEARSO F UNCERTAINTY19, 67-1969, 83 Impact of the Fire, 84 Problems with the Cluster Missions, 88 AAP under Internal Attack, 9 1 Shrinking Budgets and Shrinking Program, 99 The Wet Workshop Goes Dry, 104 Retrospect and Prospect, 111 6. MANAGINTGH E DESIGNP HASE,1 14 Moving Out of Apollo's Shadow, 114 A Second Skylab, 11 6 Management Tools, 1 18 The Problem of Changes, 125 The Problem of Reentry, 127 7. LIVINGA ND WORKINGIN SPACE1, 30 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. THEM EDICALE XPERIMENTS14, 9 Defining the Experiments, 149 A Space Toilet, 152 Building the Medical Hardware, 159 A Simulation and What Came of It, 162 9. STUDYINGTH E SUN,1 66 Solar Instruments, 166 Apollo Telescope Mount, 169 Mission Plans and Operating Procedures, 174 Technical Progress and Problems, 179 10. LATEA DDITIONTSO THE EXPERIMENT1S8, 2 Observing the Earth, 182 Earth-Resource Experiments, 185 Selecting the Investigators, 191 Flight Planning and Instrument Development, 192 Student Experiments, 194 CONTENTS 1 1. PUTTINGT HE PIECEST OGETHER1, 97 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, 2 12 12. PREPARATIONFOSR FLIGHT,2 13 Defining Center Responsibilities, 213 Operations Planning in Houston, 2 15 Huntsville Organizes for Mission Support, 217 Test Pilot vs. Scientist-Astronaut, 218 Crew Training, 221 13. LAUNCHINSGK YLAB2,3 1 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 PART1 11. THEM ISSIONSA ND RESULTS,1 973-1979, 251 14. SAVINGS KYLAB2,5 3 T h e 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, 27 1 Investigation Board, 276 15. THEF IRSTM ISSION2, 79 Private Communications, 279 Physical Fitness in Space, 283 Flight Planning: T h e Astronauts' View, 287 Fight Planning: T h e Investigators' View, 288 T h e Long-Awaited Solar Flare, 290 Critique of the First Mission, 291 vii CONTENTS 16. THES ECONDM ISSION2, 95 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, 3 10 17. THEL AST MISSION3, 12 Changes to the Mission, 312 An Error in Judgment, 3 14 Activation, 3 16 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. RESULTS3, 39 Medical Findings, 339 Solar Observations, 342 Earth Observations, 345 NASA's Own Experiments, 347 Comet Observations and Student Experiments, 351 Skylab Science: An Assessment, 353 19. WHATG OESU P . . . , 3 6 1 Plans to Save the Workshop, 361 Regaining Control of Skylab, 363 Last days of Skylab, 367 APPENDIXES A. Summary of the Missions, 374 B. Major Contractors, 377 C. International Aeronautical Federation World Records Set by Skylab, 379 I D. Experiments, 381 E. Astronauts' Biographies, 387 F. Comet Kohoutek, 390 G. Joint Observing Program 2, Active Regions, 395 .. . V l l l
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