Skylab

Author(s): DaveBowman2001

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Skylab was NASA's first space station, where it was launched and operated by three separate three-Apollo crews from May 1973 to February 1974. Major operations included an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, Earth observation, and hundreds of experiments. Unable to be re-boosted by the Space Shuttle, which was not ready until 1981, Skylab's orbit eventually decayed, and it disintegrated in the atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris across the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.

NOTES:

• - Requires the Project Apollo addon installed to view the three missions and various EVAs from 1973-1974
• - Since Skylab no longer orbits the Earth in real life, you can only view it on Celestia from May 1973 to July 1979
• - Replaces and enhances the stock version of Skylab included on Celestia by default

A full stack of the two components of an Apollo spacecraft in lunar orbit

Final flight of the Saturn V, which carried Skylab to orbit, 1973-May-14

Skylab was damaged during its launch, as seen by the arrival of its first crew just 12 days later, 1973-May-26

Skylab as viewed by the crews of Skylab 2 (top), Skylab 3 (bottom-left), and Skylab 4 (bottom-right)

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