Saving Skylab

The words

1. Cable Cutter

   On June 7, Conrad and Kerwin used a cable cutter to sever the metal strap pinning Skylab’s solar wing. Cutting the strap released the obstruction, though the wing still needed help opening.

   NASA: freeing Skylab’s solar wing (opens a new tab)

2. Gas Masks

   The astronauts wore gas masks when they first entered Skylab because heating might have released toxic gases from insulation. Kerwin later tested the workshop air and found no sign of the suspected gas.

   NASA: Skylab’s first repair crew (opens a new tab)

3. Jack Kinzler

   Jack Kinzler proposed an umbrella-like parasol to shade Skylab’s damaged workshop. His team’s design could pass through an instrument port and be deployed from inside.

   Smithsonian: saving Skylab (opens a new tab)

4. Kerwin

   Joseph Kerwin was a physician and Skylab 2’s science pilot. He also joined Conrad in the June 7 spacewalk, helping free the solar array that the station needed for power.

   NASA: Joseph Kerwin’s medical and flight work (opens a new tab)

5. Mylar

   Mylar joined nylon and aluminum in the parasol’s fabric. The layered material formed the broad cover intended to protect the workshop from direct sunlight after its original shield was lost.

   Smithsonian: saving Skylab (opens a new tab)

6. Overheating

   Skylab lost its protective shield during launch, exposing the workshop to solar heating. High temperatures threatened equipment, food and film, making a replacement shade essential before the crew could live aboard.

   Smithsonian: saving Skylab (opens a new tab)

7. Parasol

   Folded like an umbrella, the parasol passed through Skylab’s small scientific airlock. Once extended outside the workshop, its fabric shaded the damaged area facing the Sun and helped cool the interior.

   Smithsonian: saving Skylab (opens a new tab)

8. Saturn V

   On May 14, 1973, the final Saturn V launched Skylab. During ascent, the station lost its protective shield and suffered damage to its workshop’s solar wings.

   Did you know?

   Skylab’s orbital workshop was built from a modified Saturn S-IVB stage. A large protective fairing covered its docking adaptor, telescope mount and airlock during launch.

   Smithsonian: saving Skylab (opens a new tab)

9. Shepherd's Hook

   Weitz tried to pull the jammed solar wing free with a shepherd’s hook while standing in the Apollo hatch. The attempt failed, leaving the obstruction for the later repair spacewalk.

   NASA: Skylab’s first repair crew (opens a new tab)

10. Skylab Two

    Skylab 2 carried Conrad, Kerwin and Weitz on the station’s first crewed mission. Their repairs made the laboratory usable, allowing them to complete a month-long flight devoted to scientific research.

    NASA: Skylab 2’s mission and recovery (opens a new tab)

11. Solar Wing

    Freeing the solar wing restored power that Skylab’s experiments needed. After the strap was cut, Conrad and Kerwin also overcame a stuck hinge so the array could open fully and generate electricity.

    NASA: freeing Skylab’s solar wing (opens a new tab)

12. Ticonderoga

    USS Ticonderoga was the aircraft carrier that recovered Skylab 2 after its June 22, 1973 splashdown. Navy personnel lifted the command module aboard before Conrad, Weitz and Kerwin emerged.

    Did you know?

    The mission’s medical research continued aboard the recovery ship. In Skylab’s Mobile Laboratory, measurements tracked how the astronauts readapted to conditions on Earth after their flight.

    NASA: Skylab 2’s mission and recovery (opens a new tab)

13. Twin Pole

    Skylab’s second crew installed the twin-pole sunshade on August 6, 1973. Garriott and Lousma spread it over the earlier parasol, providing more lasting shade for the damaged workshop.

    Did you know?

    The second crew found the new shade already aboard Skylab. The first crew had carried it into space, leaving it for the later installation.

    NASA: Skylab’s second sunshade (opens a new tab)

14. Water Tank

    At Marshall Space Flight Center, astronauts rehearsed repair work in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator. The large water tank let ground teams test tool handling and spacewalk movements before the crew attempted the repair in orbit.

    NASA: Skylab’s first repair crew (opens a new tab)

15. Weitz

    Paul Weitz was Skylab 2’s pilot. He made the first attempt to free the damaged solar wing from the Apollo hatch and later helped activate the station for research.

    NASA: Skylab’s first repair crew (opens a new tab)