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NASA NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATIONMANNED SPACECRAFT CENTERFACTS PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICEHoYstc-n, Texas

SKVLABM ANN ED O RBI T AL SCIENT I F IC SPACE ST AT I O N

Skylab is th e name of an experimental space station program of th e National Aeronautics an d SpaceAdministration (NASA). An extension of the mannedMercury-Gemini-Apollo space programs, th e SkylabProgram will make extensive use of th e hardware an dtechnological base developed during those previousmissions.

The Skylab Program is designed to expand ourknowledge of manned earth-orbital operations an d toaccomplish carefully selected scientific, technological,an d medical investigations.The success of the Skylab Program is essential no tonly in achieving sound decisions on the content an dconfiguration of future space vehicles, but in gainingth e confidence an d support needed for later, more advanced programs.

:;rhree groups of experiments are of particular importance: an Earth Resources Experiment Packagedesigned for investigating an d application of remotesensing of the earth resources, a series of medical experiments associated with th e careful extension ofman's living an d working in space fo r longer periodsof time, an d several high-resolution astronomical experiments fo r studying the sun at short wavelengthsno t observable from the earth.Th e Skylab Program, schequled to begin late in1972, will consist of several low earth-orbital missions - approximately 235 nautical miles al t i tude-

using th e payload of the Saturn V and Saturn IBlaunch vehicles. The series of missions will begin withth e orbital insertion of an unmanned Saturn workshop(SWS). Each subsequent launch will provide amanned command an d service module (CSM) thatwill rendezvous and dock with the SWS. Because ofthe unique design, which incorporates the huge thirdstage of the Saturn V launch vehicle an d provides anorbital facility equal in volume to a medium-sizedhome, th e program is expected to provide th e UnitedStates with th e capability to develop an d maintainpermanent space stations that will be of increasingbenefit to mankind.The goal of the Sky ab Program is the accomplishment of four basic objectives.1. Scientific investigations in earth orbit. - Theseinvestigations are designed to take advantage of spaceoperations to learn more about th e universe, th e spaceenvironment, th e phenomena that exist in the solarsystem, an d the manner in which these phenomenainfluence ou r earth environment.

2. Applications in earth orbit. - Applications experiments include th e development an d evaluation ofefficient techniques using man for sensor operation, discrimination, data selection an d evaluation, control,maintenance an d repair, assembly an d setup, an d mobility. These experiments include studies in meteorology, earth resources, an d communications. The

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proper relationship between manned an d unmannedapplications operations will be examined.3. Long-duration space flights of men and systems. - Th e unique capabilities of man as a participant in space flight activities will be exploited in theSkylab Program. Techniques are being developed formeasuring th e life-support systems and subsystems ofspace vehicles. Man's psychological responses an d aptitudes in space will be evaluated and his postmissionreadaptation to th e terrestrial environment will beanalyzed as a function of progressively longer missions.Some of th e major medical areas that will be studiedinclude nutritional an d musculoskeletal functio,ls, cardiovascular function, hematology an d immunology,neurophysiology, pulmonary function, an d metabolism.4. Effective an d economical development of futurespace programs. - The Skylab missions will give manth e capability to operate in space for increasinglylonger periods of time. The technology developed willprovide th e basis for the design an d development of future long-duration space stations. In addition, mannedoperational requirements for future extended planetaryexploration will be further defined.

PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITYTh e Skylab Program Office in th e Office of MannedSpace Flight, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D. C.,has the responsibility for directing, integrating, and

evaluating all phases of the program. Direction of theprogram is implemented by the Skylab office at eachresponsible NASA center. The responsibilities of thethree major centers are as follows:

Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas - Development of th e modified CSM Development of the spacecraft launch adapter formanned missions Development of assigned experiments, crew systems, medical equipment, food, and other crew-supportitems Integration of experiments carried in the CSM;stowage and return of experiment data and designatedhardware from orbit.. Mission analysis, including mission-requirements

development, detailed mission planning, and preflightpreparations Flightcrew selection an d training.. Mission control, flight operations, and recoveryactivities.. Mission evaluation

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama - Development of al l Saturn workshop hardwareelements.. Development of assigned experiment-support hardware; integration of assigned experiments an d supportsystems Overall systems engineering an d integration foreach flight Flight evaluation.. Saturn IB and Saturn V launch vehicles

John F. Kennedy Space Center, Flor ida.. Launch facilities fo r Skylab flights Preparations and implementation of prelaunchcheckout procedures.. Launch operations

SKYLAB CLUSTERTh e Skylab orbital cluster will consist of an SW S

and a docked Apollo CSM. The SW S will be composedof an S-IVB stage modified into an orbital workshop(OWS) , an airlock module (AM), a multiple dockingadapter (MDA), an instrument unit, an Apollo telescope mount (ATM), and an ATM deployment assembly. Th e SW S will be launched by a two-stageSaturn V rocket.In orbit, th e Skylab cluster will be 118 feet long an dwill weigh 181,300 pounds. The total work area of th eOWS, AM , MDA and CSM will be 12,763 cubic feet.

WORKSHOP(LAUNCH CONFIGURATION)

- - - APOLLOTELESCOPE

MOUNT

1--- MULTIPL.EDOCKINGADAPTER

AIRLOCK

WOR.KSHOPCREW

QUARTERS

Th e ATM, AM, an d MDA will be th e only new majo r components of th e cluster; th e other componentswill consist of standard Apollo hardware converted forSkylab use.Th e AM , a 5.5-foot-diameter circular tunnel, will beattached to the upper surface of the tank formerly used

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for liquid hydrogen storage in the third stage (S-IVB)of th e Saturn V launch vehicle. Th e AM will provide apassageway for the astronauts to enter and exit th emain workshop area. Capable of being depressurized,the AM will be used by astronauts whose work entailsextravehicularactivity. The majority of th e workshopsystems an d controls will be located in the AM.The MDA, when attached to the AM , will provideth e docking ports for the CSM and the crew. Theadapter, 10 feet in diameter an d 17 feet long, will contain th e Earth Resources Experiment package an d theATM film vault.The SWS, including th e ATM , will be completelyoutfitted before launch. The workshop will have 10,644cubic feet of interior space, sufficient for kitchen, bath,an d workroom facilities to support a crew of three me nfor one 28-day period an d two 56-day periods. Certain experiments and the necessary experiment-supportequipment will be installed in th e OWS, which will bemaintained in a dormant state during unmanned periods, then reactivated for use by a later crew.The instrument unit, which will provide guidanceand sequencing functions, will be used during launchand the first 7.5 hours of orbital operations. Th e unitwill also be used during th e initial deployment of th eATM and the solar arrays of th e OWS an d the ATM.Th e ATM will be essentially a manned solar observatory that can be aimed with pinpoint accuracy. Thestructure an d behavior of th e sun, particularly duringperiods of solar-flare activity, will be observed, monitored, an d recorded in th e ATM. Astronauts equippedwith extravehicular equipment will exit the AM to install an d retrieve film from th e ATM cameras.

LAUNCH VEHICLESThe Saturn V launch vehicle used to place the SW Sin orbit will consist of two stages, the S-IC and the

S-H. The total weight of the Saturn V and the SWSat lift-off will be approximately 6.2 million pounds. Atlaunch, th e entire vehicle will be 333 feet high.A Saturn IB launch vehicle will place th e CSM intoorbit for rendezvousing an d docking with the SWS.The Saturn IB, a two-stage vehicle - th e S-IB an d th eS-IVB - with the CSM will have a combined lift-offweight of 1,3 million pounds. The height of th e S-IBwill be 223 feet at launch .

MISSION SEQUENCEIn the flight sequence, th e fully outfitted bu t unmanned SW S an d attached ATM will be launchedinto a 235-nautical-mile circular orbit by th e two-stageSaturn V launch vehicle. The ATM will be deployedand th e OWS will be pressurized to 5 psia with an

oxygen-nitrogen mixture, so that th e crew can enterllllmediately after the CS M is docked.Then, 24 hours later, an S-IB launch vehicle willplace th e CS M and the three-man crew into an intermediate 81- by 120-nautical-mile orbit. The crew willrendezvous with SW S (using the CSM service propulsion system to attain th e required 235-nautical-mileorbit) and then dock to a port of the MDA.The crew will enter an d completely activate th ewhich will be their home an d work area for th enext 28 days. During the remainder of th e mission, th eexperiment program (scientific, biomedical, technologiearth resources, an d crew operations) win be conducted. Ernphasis will be placed on th e medical experi-

ments and evaluation of the habitabilty of the SWS.The ATM experiments will be conducted an d satisfactory operation of th e experiments will be verified.The Earth Resources Experiment Package will be operated to a limited degree.

On the 26th day, th e crew will exit the AM, retrieveexposed AT M film, and reload th e cameras. Near theen d of the 28-day mission, th e crew will prepare theSW S for orbital storage, a dormant period scheduledto last 2 months until another crew visits the Skylab.The CSM and crew will deorbit an d make an oceanlanding on th e 28th da y of the mission.Th e second manned flight of the Skylab Programwill be similar to th e first, except that th e open-endedmission ma y be extended to 56 days. Greater emphasiswill be placed on th e solar-astronomy experiments andon the Earth Resources Experiment Package duringthe second manned mission. A third crew of astronautsis scheduled to revisit the Skylab 1 month after theend of th e second mission. On the third visit, 56 dayslong, the earth-resources, medical, and ATM experiments will be emphasized. Science, technology, andcrew operations will be investigated on al l three missions.

EXPERIMENTSTh e inflight experiments, grouped into six majorareas, will be performed in th e O1,7'iTS, the AM, orMDA. The categories of experiments are as folows.o Solar astronomy - Th e scientific experiments that

comprise th e ATM payload ar e th e largest, most complex experiments ever designed for performing solarresearch from an orbital spacecraft. Special emphasiswill be placed on observations that cannot be made byastronomers on earth because of spectral absorption byth e atmosphere. Science - Th e 17 scientific experiments are designed to study geophysics, th e physics of the upper

atmosphere, th e physics of the interplanetary medium,solar studies supplementing ATM data, an d galacticand intergalactic astronomy.@ Biomedicine - Th e 15 inflight an d postflight bio

medical experiments are planned to determine the effects of long-duration space flight on th e crew. Th emajor areas of interest are nutritional and musculoskeletal functions, cardiovascular function, hematologyan d immunology, neurophysiology, pulmonary function, an d metabolism.

'" Technology - Th e th.ree technological experiments are designed to make use of th e orbital environment to study space effects on various scientific phenomena an d industrial arts.ill Earth resources - The five experiments areplanned to investigate practical applications of remotesensing of the earth resources an d environment. Dur

ing th e research, th e quality of earth-resources datataken through th e atmosphere will be analyzed, andth.e data an d possible applications vv-ill be examined. Amultispectral photographic facility, &"1 infrared spectrometer, a lO-band multispectral scanner, a microwave radiometer-scatterometer-altimeter, an d an Lband radiometer will comprise the equipment used inth e investigations.

'" Crew operations - These experiments are plannedto evaluate an d demonstrate engineering deveJIOjJim(3ni;Sand hardware designed to facilitate th e functioning ofth e crew in the space enviroment.

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SKVLAB EXPERIMENTSCOGNIZANT MISSIONSTITLE AGENCY(a) INVESTIGATOR AND AFFILIATION(b) 32

White-light coronagraph MSFC Dr. Gordon Newkirk, High Altitude Obs. X X XX-ray spectographic telescope MSFC Dr. M. Zombeck, American Science and X X XEngineeringuv scanning polychromator spectroheliometer MSFC Dr. Edward Reeves, Harvard College Obs. X X XDual X-ray telescope MSFC Mr. James Milligan X X XExtreme uv coronal spectroheliograph MSFC Mr. J. D. Purcell, Naval Research Lab. X X XExtreme uv spectrograph MSFC Mr. J. D. Purcell, Naval Research Lab. X X XNuclear emulsion MSFC Dr. M. M. Shapiro, Naval Research Lab. Xuv stellar astronomy MSC Dr. K. G. Henize and Dr. James Wray, X XNorthwestern Univ.X-ray uv solar photography MSC Dr. R. Tousey, Naval Research Lab. XPotato respiration MSC Dr. B. W. Pince, Space Defense Corp. Xuv airglow horizon photography MSC Dr. D. Packer, Naval Research Lab. XGegenschein zodiacal light MSFC Dr. J. Weinberg, Dudley Obs. XParticle collection MSC Dr. C. L. Hemmenway, Dudley Obs. X XGalactic X-ray mapping MSFC Dr. W. Kraushaar, Univ. of Wisconsin XMultispectral photographic facility MSC Mr. A. L. Grandfield X X XInfrared spectrometer MSC Dr. T. Barnett X X X10-band multispectral scanner MSC Dr. C. L. Korb X X XMicrowave scatterometer MSC Mr. D. Evans X X XRadiation in spacecraft MSC Capt. M. F. Schneider, USAF XExpandable airlock technology MSFC Mr. F. W. Forbes, USAF Wright-Patterson X XAir Force Base (AFB)Thermal control coatings MSFC Mr. Carl Boebel, USAF Wright-Patterson AFB X XMaterial processing in space MSFC Mr. P. G. Parks XEffects of zero-g on human cells MSC Dr. P. O. Montgomery, Dallas County Hospital XCircadian rhythm, pocket mice ARC Dr. C. S. Pittendrigh, Princeton Univ. XCircadian rhythm, vinegar gnat ARC Dr. C. S. Pittendrigh, Princeton Univ. XCrew vehicle disturbances LaRC Mr. B. A. Conway XPrecision optical tracking MSFC Mr. John Gould X X XCoronagraph contamination measurement MSC Dr. G. P. Bonner XContamination measurement MSFC Dr. J. Muscari, Martin Marietta Corp. XZero-g flammability MSFC Mr. Howard Kimzey XGravity substitute workbench MSFC Mr. J. Rendall XExtravehicular- and intravehicular-activity MSC Mr. John Jackson X Xhardware evaluationAstronaut-maneuvering equipment MSC Maj. C. E. Whitsett, USAF XFoot-controlled maneuvering unit LaRC Mr. D. E. Hewes XMineral balance MSC Dr. G. D. Whedon, National Institute of Health X X XBone densitometry MSC Dr. Pauline Mack, Texas Women's Univ. X X XBioassay of body fluids MSC Dr. C. Leach X X XSpecimen mass measurement MSC Col. John Ord, USAF, Brooks AFB X X XLower-body negative pressure MSC Col. John Ord, USAF, Brooks AFB X X XInflight lower-body negative pressure MSC Dr. R. J. Johnson X X XVectorcardiogram MSC Capt. Newton W. Allebach, USN, X X XBureau of Medicine and SurgeryCytogenetiC studies of blood MSC Dr. M. Shaw, Univ. of Texas Medical Center X X XMan's immunity in vitro aspects MSC Dr. Stephen Ritzman, Shriners ' Burn Institute X X XBlood volume and red-cell life span MSC Dr. Phillip Johnson, Baylor Univ. X X XRed-blood-cell metabolism MSC Mr. Charles Mengel, Univ. of Missouri X X XHuman vestibular function MSC Dr. Ashton Graybiel, Naval AviationMedical Institute X XTime and motion study MSC Dr. J. F. Kubis, Fordham Univ. X X XMetabolic activity MSC Mr. Edware Michel X X XBody-mass measurement MSC Col. John Ord, USAF, Brooks AFB X X XThermal control coatings MSFC Mr. E. C. McKannon XInflight aerosol analysis MSFC Dr. W. Leavitt X X X

(a) MSFC, Marshall Space Flight Center; MSC, Manned Spacecraft Center; ARC, Ames Research Center; and LaRC, LangleyResearch Center.(b) If different from cognizant agency. NASA -MSC