mission report the final skylab mission man at home and at work in space

8/7/2019 Mission Report the Final Skylab Mission Man at Home and at Work in Space

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C -^ ^ n ^ ( s s o nrepor tthe F ina lS k y l a b M i s s io nMan At DomeAndAt W ork In Space' ' I ' d like people to think of our mission as one wherethree guys went up ... and tried to live a normal lifein space to show it could be done . . , that man canlive a normal existence in space and that he canaccomplish a great many things that can't be done onthe ground." . . Gerald P. Carr, commander, S^ylab4, at news conference between the Skylab astronautsin space and reporters on Earth. January 2, .974.The record of Skylab 4, the official name for thethird and last manned mission to the nation's firstspace station, clearly demonstrated Carr's words.It indicated that with proper exercise and diet, theremay be no I -n o t to how long man can make hishome in space.Records are rr.;.Je to ba broken, and the final Skylab manned mission did dust that. Its crew, astronautsCarr, Edward G Gibson, and William R. Pogue estab.lished records not only for the longest single mannedspace mission (84 days. 1 hour. 16 minutes) but alsofor the longest periods of work in Earth orbit outsideof a spacecraft (6 hours 33 minutes on November 22,and 7 hours 1 minute on December 25, 1973).

In doing so, the three astronauts, who had neverbefore been in space, rose from space rookies tospace champs, breaking the previous record for the

Gibson during fourth EVA.

longest individual total flight time in space. This eventoccurred at 1 45 a m EDT. January 25. 1974, whenthey passed the 69 d,iys 15 hours. and 45 minutesaccumulated by astronaut Alan L Bean on Apollo 12and the second Skylab manned mission.Bean radioed his congratulations and added''You did it the hard wayall in one shot."Med ical Results EncouragingThe astronauts spent more time on major medicalexperiments than the first two crews. The informationderived from these experiments iscontributing toknowledge of the human body as well as to planningfor possible future lung duration missions in space.As a result of information acquired in Skylab, manydoctors see no medical reasons why men cannot go onsuch extended missions Among them is Dr. CharlesA Bcrry, unti l recently N A SA Director of Life Sciences,who had beer medicahy watching astronauts since1958 His view "From what we know today. there isno me dical reason to bar a two year mission to Mars "Although spending a considerably longer time inspace than their predecessors. the Sk ylab 4 astronautsnot only were in better shape upon their return toEarth but also readjusted more quirkly to Earth's

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gravity This may have been due to the greater amountof exert ise they performed using a portable treadmill(which they brought into space with them) and thestationary bicycle that already was aboard Skylab)

Measured for the first time on Skylab 4 was anotherphenomenon of weightlessness the astronauts actually grew taller, by an inch or mure. and trimmer Thechanges are believed to result from strtch ng of thevertebrae of the spinal co l umn and shifting of bodyfluids from the lower to the upper extremities. (Somedoctors attribute space motion sickness to this shiftof body fluids ) The situation is reversed by gravityupon return to Earth causing the men to shank backto their normal heights

Nutritionists have prided themselves on the mealsthey had deve l o ped for Skylab These meals were a farr, r y from the tube type feedings of early space flightsand were described as almost like home rooked mealsBut the Skylab astronauts complained about theblandness of their diet, even about dishes that theyhad eaten with relish on Earth.

Although the foods were well season, d. they larkedflavor for the space borne astronauts and were literally inundated with onion. garlic, and pepper. Sventests cannot yet explain this decrease in ability to taste.The Light That FailedA passing comet got more than passing interest from.,lcylab. The Comet Kohoutek, named for its Czechborn discoverer t ubos Kohoutek, was first obs 2rvedfar out in space in March 1973 The first observationwas some 9 1 .,months before the comet would sweepinto the inner solar system, giving scientists an unprecedented opportunity to prepare observing instrurnents for its arrival. Skylab was drafted into Operation Kohoutek, the w-rldwule many-faceted studv ofthe comet.Some calculations indicated this would be thecomet of the century, lighting up the sky for theChristmas New Year 19731974 season. Scientistsand the public waited with anticipation for this relesteal marvel to come from the outer reaches of thesolar system beyond Pluto.

On December 13. 1973, tho Skylab 4 astronautssighted Kohoutek and trained their Apollo TelescopeMount and hand held rameras on it They continued toincorporate Kohoutek observations into their programuntil the comet was obscured by the Sun On December 30. as Kohoutek swept out from behind the Sun, itwas sighted by Carr and Gibson while on [VA. Carrremarked ''It looks yellow and orange. just Ike aCame. - "Mostly yellow." said Gibson Both filmed thecomet with handheld cameras.

Kohoutek's unexpected dimness tc Earth viewersdid not lessen its scientific importance Scientists aregathering significant information from the observabons of Kohoutek by Skylab 4. NASA unm&nnedSpacecraft such as Mariner 10 and the Orbiting Astro.nomical Observato y 3 (Copernicus), sounding rock-

New stabilizing fin for first stage ofSaturn 1 B is hoisted into position Itreplaces fin in which corrosion crackswere discovered.

Pts, high altitude aircraft, balloons, and ground telescopes.Viewing the Blue PlanetThe viewer from space could characterize Earth as theBlue Pla cet because blue is its predominant colorSkylab's purpose in viewing Earth was to define thebest instruments for and determine man's usefulnessin E.rrth surveys from space However, Skylab has alsoprovided a wealth of data about the Earth and itsresources and about such scourges as pollution,infestation, and drought

Skylab's data are applicable to research in donculture, forestry, ecology. geology. geography, meteorology, hydrology, and oceanography The Skylab 4astronauts took about 20,000 pictures of Earth andgathered additional data about our planet on some 30kilometers (19 miles) of magnetic tape Some observations

Swirling pools, believed to he cold water, occurin the warm Gulf Stream that run! from the Caribbean,along the southeast United States coast, and theneastward to Europe. This has important implicationsfor weather forecasting

Effects of strip mining in Illinois. Indiana, andKentucky.e Newly revelled subterranean hot springs andgases that could contribute to meeting Earth 'senergyrequirements Swirling cloud patterns that seem to be generated

by islandsStudying Our Nearest StarThe al,l^rox , rnatelyI 1 >,000 telescopic images that theSkylab 4 astronauts mace of the Sun will add to thestorehouse of knowledge about our most importantcelestrial body The images were taken in the X ray,ultraviolet, and visible portions of the spectrum.

Pogue and Carr, in home likechore of putting out trash,pass bags through Skylabtrash airlock.

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^i Gibson at ATM solar observatoryconsole.

Cloud wakes over Campbell Island, 400mile.-, south of New Zealand,photcgraphed by Skylab 4 astronauts.

X ray and ultraviolet images. which can tell muchabout the Sun. cannot be obtained by ground observatortes because of the Earth's atmosphere The picturesstrengthen the evidence that the solar corona is moredynamic and complex than previously believed.

Solar physicists awaited with anti( ipation the Skylab 4 observations of a medium sized solar flare onJanuary 21 1974 It was the first time a flare hadbeen recorded from beginning to end with powerfulspaceborne instruments. There is as et no way topredict a flare. The processes that tale place at itsbeginning are very important as it is then that thepuzzling energy transfer from magnetic field intotherma' (hear) energy takes place UnlockmK thesecret of this energy transfer may offer a way to obtainInexpens've energy on Earth.

Catching thi; Bare is a tribute to the patience andperseverance of Astronaut Gibson who spent longhours at his ATM solar obse r ving instruments hopingto be on hand when such a transient solar event tookplace.Planned Repair ChoresThe final Skylab crew, like .(s two predecessors, wasnot without its share of repair work. On November 19.1973, they replenished the cooling fluid in the sy.'emthat kept Skylab's electronic equipment from overheating. The second Skylab crew had discovered thatthe coolant was escaping but was unable to loCa'( rire.leak.

The Skylab 4 crew had brought fr :th a


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Atlantic. His opinion was confirmed by Mission Controt. Houston. Texas with. "Everything's looking realgood At the time. Skylab Program Director William CSchneider cautiously called Skylab 4 "a planned 6nday open ended mission with enough consumables onboard to last as long as 84 days." He emphasized thatbeginning on the mission's 56th day, decisions wouldbe made weekly on whether to prolong the missionThe decisions would be based on crew health, work tobe done, remaining food and supplies, and conditionof equipment.

During their first day In space, the crew did notreport to Mission Control that Pogue had had somemotion sickness Later, a transcript of the onboardtape revealed this to the ground. Alan B. Shepard, Jr.,shied of the Astronaut Office, chided the crew andreminded them: "We are down here to help you, so letus know if you have any problems as you go along "

To which Skylab 4 commander Carr responded:"Okay. I agree with you. It was a dumb decision.-The Skylab 4 crew actually fared better than theprevious crew which was hampered severely by motionsickness during its first few days in space Carr andGib. on took the drug scopolamine/d/amphetamine.while Pogue took ephedrine and promethazine. Theformer drug is stronger, but its effects are not aslasting.

The motion sickness episode proved but a preludeto other difficulties Struggh .g to keep up with a heavyworkload, the crew made errors on several expertments, Including neglecting to install filters on anEarth study inst r ument curnposed of six cameras. Theinformation was recouped later during another sweepof Earth.The crew mentioned lack of training for sorre oftheir medical experiments "which we had never seenbefore." This slowed them down, they said. And adelay anywhere causes time programmed tasks tobunch up and the schedule to be wrecked. The crewalso asked for more time to relax.All this raised questions in scme quarters. Forexample, can prolonged Isolation and weightlessnessbe depress , ng, tiring, and cause mistakes?

After some frank exchanges, the men In Skylab andthose on the ground held an operational discussion.As It turned out, the crux of the problem apaeared tobe that the crew of Skylab 4 started at the work pacethat the previous crew had reached after severalweeks in space. This proved too much for them tohandle while they were adapting to their new environment.

As a result of the frank air to ground exchanges.work schedules were adjusted and the Skylab crewgot more time to relax. Subsequently, both the crew's

U.S. Manned Spaceflight RecordFlights Manned Time'

Mercury 6 53 55Gemini 10 969.52Apollo 11 2,502:00Skylab 3 4,117 17Total 30 7,643:04 Ho,nti Minute%

Northwest Wyoming during Skylab 4mission Dark area is YellowstoneNational Park.

performance and its relationship with Mission ControlImproved enormously. By the end of the mission, thecrew completed more than expected, for example, 39Earth survey passes were made, although only 30were planned, and the crew used two complete sets ofsolar instrument film, although only one set had beenplanned.

On January 25. 1974, as the Skylab 4 astronautsheaded for new records in space, they were lauded byJames C. Fletcher, NASA Administrator, and GeorgeM. Low. NASA Deputy Administrator, in a messagefrom Mission Control: "Congratulations . for theoutstanding work you have done and are continuing todo ... Keep up the good work."

Another threat to the mission occurred in November1973. One of the three gyroscopes that stabilizedSkylab failed and could not be repaired Its loss posedno problem to normal flight but required special effortby the crew to align the craft for Earth surveys. If another gyroscope had beer lost. It would have necessltated that the mission be prematurely ended.

The final ordeal occurred as the astronauts werereturning to Earth The astronauts discovered thattheir control s y stem would not fire the tiny thrusters(rockets) that would keep the Skylab 4 ferrycrattproperly oriented If not oriented correctly, the spacecraft might have landed far from the targeted area.where recovery ships were waiting to pick Itup

But a procedure was available for lust such anemergency It Involved b,passing the -omputer thatcontrols the spacecraft rocket firings. (Investigationafter return to Earth showed the problem was due toace (dental opening of four circuit breakers.)

At 11 18 a.m EDT. February 8. 1974, the Skylab 4crew landed safely right on target In the Pacific Oceanabout 290 kilometers (180 miles) southwest of SanDiego. California. In less than an hour, they wereaboard the recovery ship, the helicopter carrier USSNew Orleans.

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rASkylab 4 crew on U.S. S New Orleansabout an hour after splashdown in thePacific Left to right; Gibson. Pogue.and Carr.

At right; Skylab 4 launch. io

Skylab EpilogSkylab, the nation's pioneering space statbon program, p r oved that man can function effectively forlong periods in space. It has clearly demonstratedthe usefulness of man. It has also produced an tinprecedented wealth of data in such diverse fields asstudy of the Sun: surveys of Earth to meet mankind'sneed for new sources of energy, fond, and fresh waterand improved utilization of existing resources: under.standing of life processes: improved crystals andalloys by producing them in the weightless environment of space: and unique data on the comet Kohoutek. Skylab's impact may not be realized for manyyears. but it has probably provided bases for irnportant discoveries that could expand significantly man'sknowledge and well being

Today. Skylab is a ghost ship, destined to circlethe Earth dark and vacant for as long as ten years. Intime, it will drift down into the denser part of theatmosphere. Eventually, atmospheric f riction will heatand cause it to break apart, falling to Earth like ameteor shower in a fiery finale to a brilliant career.

Sometime before this, another group of astronautsmay visit Skylab, using the spare Shuttle, the vehic ethat NASA is developing to ferry men and equipmenton a egular bans between Earth and Earth orbit theirpurpose will not be to reopen the space station but toretrieve articles left in a ''time capsule'' bag. Examination of these articles would give data on theirreaction to long duration space flights

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Skylab. now a ghost ship, is snappedby the departing Skylab 4 crew.

Some Skylab Stat is ticsMissions

LaurchSplashdown

Duration (days: hours: minutes)RevolutionsDistance (million miles)"SEVA

**EVA 1 Duration(Hours. minutes and date)EVA 2EVA 3EVA 4

TotalsEVA (Hours: minutes)Apollo TelescopeMount Film FramesEarth Survey Film Frames

"lrst

5/25/73900 am EDT61221739:49 a rn EDT2804940411 50:37 (5/25/73)3:.30(6/7173)

1:44 (6/19/73)

5.4130,242

8.886

Second71281737:10 a.m. EDT9/25/736 19 p m. EDT59.01.9851824 5

629 (8/6/73)4:30 (8124173)2.45 (9/22/73)

13.4477.600

14,400

Third11/16/739:01 a rn EDT2/8/7411.17am.EDT84 01:16171434.5

6'33 (11122173)7.01(12/25/73)3 28 (12/29/73)5.19 (2 /3174)22:2175.00017.000

Total

171 13142476705

41 46 min.182.842

40.286

Stand up on spacecraft hatch) Extra Vehicular Activity Extra Vehicular Activity (completely outside of spacecraft)


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Everything that we have done in the Skylab Programhas been necessary for future progress in space andthe Skylab experience has confirmed that we are reallyon the right track in proceeding to develop the SpaceShuttle and its Spacelab manned module for use in the1980s and 1990s.Skylab, in all its aspects, has demonstrated thatthis nation is capable of conducting broader and moreuseful beneficial activities in space that directly relateto our own planet E% rth. It has served us well as atrue orbiting research tacrlity enabling our astronautsto carry out a wide spectrum of scientific, engineeringand bromedic_I studies.

To appreciate the broad capabilities of Skylab weshould take note of President Nixon's landmarkspeech on space exploration which he made on March7, 1970. In that speech, the President stated thatthree purposes should guide our space program ex-ploration, scientific knowledge and practical applicatron. Skylab and the Skylab men have accomplishedsimultaneously all of these purposes.

It was also said that we must see our space effortnot only as an adventure of today, but also as aninvestment in tomorrow, and that space activities willbe a part of our Ives for the rest of time.

Skylab has shown the way. l; , a very real sense,Skylab can be considered a turning pointfor whileit was still basically an experimental space station, it

nevertheless possessed many qualities and ingredients that will Lharacterize operational missions of thefuture. It has moved the space program from the realmof the spectacular into a new phase that can be characterized possibly as almost businesslike, if riot quiteroutine.

The investment in Skylab has contributed to anorderly transition from the Apollo era of the 1960's tothe Shuttle/Spacelab era of the 1980's and has con.tinued U.S. leadership in manned space flight. Wehave clearly demonstrated that men can performvaluable services in Earth orbit as observers, scientists, engineers and repairmen.

Skylab has given us a wealth of new informationabout the dynamic processes of the Sun, provided newevidence of the value of Earth observations fromspace, helped define the feasibility of making newproducts in zero gravity, and has stimulated interestin international cooperation in space.

These returns from our Skylab investment alreadyare impressive, but I should point out, the returns arenct all in. We will be hearing much more in the monthsahead. Indeed, we w.11 be living with our Skylab success for a long, long time.Dr. James C. FletcherNASA Adm:nistratorFebruary 15, 1974

mission report the final skylab mission man at home and at work in space

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