Skylab was only intended as a temporary home in space.
The longest mission, which ended in February 1974, lasted almost three months. Skylab was occupied by astronauts three times over 1973 and 1974, each time by a crew of three astronauts.
The Skylab missions obtained vast amounts of scientific data and they demonstrated that people could live and work productively in space for months at a time.
Skylab had four major units: the orbital workshop, airlock module, multiple docking adapter, and an Apollo telescope mount. When in orbit, the Skylab space station was 118 feet (36 meters) long.
The Skylab program was almost over before it began. The Skylab Orbital Workshop was damaged during launch. Without a micrometeorite shield to protect the interior from the Sun, temperatures inside Skylab rose to over 130°F. High temperatures inside the space station had the potential of damaging instruments, equipment, food, and photographic film while releasing toxic gases that would be dangerous for the astronauts. To save Skylab, the first crew would need to arrive and attempt a repair mission. And to keep the high temperatures from destroying everything, they had just ten days to do it.
NASA wanted to make Skylab, the United States’ first space station, feel more like home, especially because astronauts would be living there for extended periods. Although designers had to add equipment within a very confined space, they did add a toilet, an exercise area, and a shower. However, as you would imagine, showering on Skylab was very different than showering on Earth. An average shower took two hours.
Skylab had a full galley in which the astronauts could replicate the experience of eating in a kitchen, complete with a table and trays with heating elements for each of the crew to use for heating up tins of food.
Skylab relied on solar cells for power, instead of water-producing fuel cells. Dehydrated foods were limited in order to conserve the water supply. Skylab was equipped with a refrigerator so that frozen foods could be carried on board. This provided the opportunity to carry a special treat for the crew—ice cream.
Take a look inside the Skylab Orbital Workshop with this 360 degree panorama.
On July 11, 1979, Skylab fell out of orbit. It wasn’t a surprise or an error, nor was it a calamity. It was more like an intense meteor shower—sparkling and momentary—as Skylab entered the atmosphere. However, in the lead up the media had stoked interest in the descent and a Chicken Little “the sky is falling” alarmism—both serious and humorous—arose. The Washington Post alone ran some 30 stories about Skylab’s demise from April through July 1979.
Soar Together activities are available online for families to participate in, no matter where they live. Activities include scavenger hunts, videos, and hands-on demonstrations learners of all ages can do at home.
