Space Rocket History

Nasa concluded that the failure of the micrometeoroid shield 63 seconds into the flight caused the breaking of the solar array system. Furthermore, at 593 seconds into the flight the second stage retro rocket plume exhaust resulted in the ripping … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #405 – Skylab – What Went Wrong and How Do We Fix It? first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Having two rockets stacked on pads 39A and 39B at the same time made for quite a sight at the Kennedy Space Center. There were also two firing rooms at KSC’s Launch Control Center that would control the countdowns for … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #404 – Skylab – The Launch of Skylab 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

This SMEAT crew would test out various elements of the Skylab equipment and procedures in a series of trials, ending in a full-scale simulation that was set at 56 days. The post Space Rocket History #403 – Skylab – S.M.E.A.T. – Skylab Mission 0 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The backup crew and some support crew participated in an interesting rescue scenario with 2 astronauts flying to Skylab to take back the crew of 3 onboard Skylab. This would mean 5 astronauts returning to earth in the command module. The post Space Rocket History #402 – Skylab – Training Part 2 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Aside from physically training for the longest crewed missions that the United States had ever attempted, the actual training program was developed simultaneously with the hardware and experiments for the mission. The post Space Rocket History #401 – Skylab – Training Part 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Bill Pogue served with the Thunderbirds as an aerobatics pilot from 1955 to 1957. The post Space Rocket History #400 – Skylab – The Astronauts Part 5 – Pogue & Weitz first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Carr was in the likely crew rotation position to serve as lunar module pilot for Apollo 19 and walk on the Moon before the mission was canceled by NASA in 1970. The post Space Rocket History #399 – Skylab – The Astronauts Part 4 – Lousma & Carr first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“Farewell, Aquarius, and we thank you.” Joe Kerwin The post Space Rocket History #398 – Skylab – The Astronauts Part 3 – Kerwin & Lousma first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“I started out being president of my first grade class, two years in a row.” Ed Gibson The post Space Rocket History #397 – Skylab – The Astronauts Part 2 – Garriott & Gibson first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“Pete wanted to do Skylab and we both felt that we did not want the moon program to get crowded, other people deserved chances too.” Al Bean The post Space Rocket History #396 – Skylab – The Astronauts Part 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Skylab had three bedrooms or sleep compartments, one for each astronaut aboard.  To save space, the beds were arranged vertically in the quarters.  The post Space Rocket History #395 – Skylab – The Tour Part 2 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

As a crew would approach Skylab in their Apollo Command Module, they would see its docking port that was called the Multiple Docking Adapter or MDA.  The post Space Rocket History #394 – Skylab – The Tour Part 1 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

During 1970-1972, a possible fourth “new” docking mission with Skylab was considered. This new mission would not be just another Apollo docking, instead it was a radically different idea.  The post Space Rocket History #393 – Skylab – Soyuz Mission first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

On February 1970, Nasa announced that the AAP had been renamed.  America’s first space station would enter the history books as Skylab. The post Space Rocket History #392 – Skylab – Let’s Call it Skylab first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The Apollo Applications Program (AAP) was created in 1966 by NASA headquarters to develop science-based human spaceflight missions using hardware developed for the Apollo program. The post Space Rocket History #391 – Skylab – Pre-history – Apollo Applications Program first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

On June 7th 1969, General Stewart ordered all work on Gemini B, the Titan IIIM and the MOL spacesuit, to cease and to cancel or curtail all other contracts. The official announcement that the MOL had been canceled was made … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #390 – Skylab – Pre-history – MOL Part 4 & Extending Apollo first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

A planning document depicted 12-man and 40-man stations, both with self-defense capability. It described the 40-man, Y-shaped station as a “spaceborne command post” in synchronous orbit. The key requirement was “post attack survivability”, the station would be capable of “Strategic/tactical … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #389 – Skylab – Pre-history – MOL Part 3 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Strangely enough the MOL astronauts only knew of the cover story that the program would be a space laboratory for military experiments and did not learn of the reconnaissance role until after selection. The post Space Rocket History #388 – Skylab – Pre-history – MOL Part 2 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

NASA feasibility studies determined that a research space laboratory could be placed in orbit by 1967. However, to fund such a project it had to be justified by achieving a national goal, or an important science goal, or test of … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #387 – Skylab – Pre-history – Dyna-Soar & MOL first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

A scant five months after Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in December of 1972, NASA launched Skylab to begin a new phase of American manned spaceflight – space station operations. The post Space Rocket History #386 – Skylab – Pre-history first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.