Skylab

Skylab
Skylab as photographed by its departing final crew (Skylab 4).
Skylab program insignia
Station statistics
COSPAR ID1973-027A
SATCAT no.6633
Call signSkylab
Crew3 per mission (9 total)
LaunchMay 14, 1973
17:30:00 UTC (51 years ago)
Carrier rocketSaturn V
AS-513
Launch padKennedy LC-39A
ReentryJuly 11, 1979
16:37:00 UTC
Mission statusDeorbited
Mass168,750 pounds (76,540 kg)[1]
w/o Apollo CSM
Length82.4 feet (25.1 m)
w/o Apollo CSM
Width55.8 feet (17.0 m)
w/ one solar panel
Height36.3 feet (11.1 m)
w/ telescope mount
Diameter21.67 feet (6.61 m)
Pressurised volume12,417 cubic feet (351.6 m3)
Atmospheric pressure5.0 pounds per square inch (34 kPa) Oxygen 74%, nitrogen 26%[2]
Perigee altitude269.7 miles (434.0 km)
Apogee altitude274.6 miles (441.9 km)
Orbital inclination50.0°
Orbital period93.4 minutes
Orbits per day15.4
Days in orbit2249 days (6.6 years)
Days occupied171 days
No. of orbits34,981
Distance travelled~890,000,000 mi (1,400,000,000 km)
Statistics as of Re-entry July 11, 1979
Configuration
Skylab configuration as planned

Skylab was the United States' first space station, launched by NASA,[3] occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three trios of astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Operations included an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, Earth observation and hundreds of experiments. Skylab's orbit eventually decayed and it disintegrated in the atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris across the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.

  1. ^ Belew, L. F.; Stuhlinger, E. (January 1973). "EP-107 Skylab: A Guidebook". NASA. Retrieved February 28, 2017. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ Belew (1977), p. 18
  3. ^ Belew (1977), p. 15