Skylab was a space station launched into Earth orbit by the United States in May 1973. Until February 1974, it was occupied by three different three-man crews who spent 28, 59, and 84 days, respectively, living and working in space and using Skylab as a research laboratory. This 1:48 scale model shows the major elements of the space station: the large workshop and living quarters; the airlock module with a hatch for activity outside the station; the docking module with docking ports for the crew vehicle as well as a control center for the solar observatory and some experiments; and an attached solar observatory called the Apollo telescope mount. The long solar arrays supplied electrical power. This model also includes a "parasol" and a "sail" that astronauts extended after the primary sunshield ripped off during launch. These shields helped to control temperature inside the space station and save Skylab from failure.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.