Bean

Garriott

Lousma

---

Skylab 3 Credit - NASA

28 July 1973 11:10 GMT. Landing Date: 1973-09-25 22:19:04 PM. Flight Time: 59.46 days. Flight Up: Skylab 3. Flight Back: Skylab 3. Call Sign: Skylab. Crew: Bean, Garriott, Lousma. Backup Crew: Brand, Lenoir, Lind. Location of Capsule: NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, OH. Program: Skylab.

Of note: Record flight duration.

On the lighter side: When the crew entered the station, they were startled to find three occupants already there - the previous crew had made dummies of themselves and left them posed on the exercise bicycle, medical station, and toilet...The crew patch was da Vinci's 'universal man', retouched to remove the genitalia. The wives of the crew secretly had an alternate graphic made of a 'universal woman' with their names in place of the crew's. Stickers with this on them were put in lockers aboard Skylab, to surprise the crew after their arrival.

What went wrong: Leaks in Apollo CSM thrusters led to preparation of a rescue mission. In the end it was decided to attempt a landing with the faulty thrusters. Continued maintenance of the Skylab space station and extensive scientific and medical experiments. Installed twinpole solar shield on EVA; performed major inflight maintenance; doubled record for length of time in space. Completed 858 Earth orbits and 1,081 hours of solar and Earth experiments; three EVAs totalled 13 hours, 43 minutes.

The space vehicle, consisting of a modified Apollo command and service module payload on a Saturn IB launch vehicle, was inserted into a 231.3 by 154.7 km orbit. Rendezvous maneuvers were performed during the first five orbits as planned. During the rendezvous, the CSM reaction control system forward firing engine oxidizer valve leaked. The quad was isolated. Station-keeping with the Saturn Workshop began approximately 8 hours after liftoff, with docking being performed about 30 minutes later.

Skylab 3 Launch of Skylab 3/Saturn 1B space vehicle... Credit- NASA

Skylab-3 MANHOUR UTILIZATION
 
MEDICAL ACTIVITIES            312.5   "        8.0   "
SOLAR OBSERVATIONS            305.1   "        7.8   "
EARTH RESOURCES               223.5   "        5.7   "
OTHER EXPERIMENTS             243.6   "        6.2   "
SLEEP, REST & OFF
             DUTY            1224.5   "       31.2   "
PRE/POST SLEEP &
           EATING             975.7   "       24.8   "
HOUSEKEEPING                  158.4   "        4.0   "
PHYSICAL TRAINING
& PERSONAL HYGIENE            202.2   "        5.2   "
OTHER (EVA) ETC               279.7   "        7.1   "
 
                    TOTAL:   3925.2   "      100     "

• - 1973 June 11 - July 28 - Skylab 3 space vehicle was moved to pad.  Launch Vehicle: Saturn I.

  The Skylab 3 space vehicle was moved to KSC Launch Complex 39, Pad B, on 11 June in preparation for launch. The space vehicle consisted of a Saturn IB launch vehicle S-IB-207 first stage, S-IVB-207 second stage, and a S-IU-208 instrument unit; a CSM; and a spacecraft lunar module adapter. Additional Details: Skylab 3 space vehicle was moved to pad..

• 1973 Jul 3 - Launch date of Skylab 3 set.  Spacecraft: Skylab.

  The launch date for Skylab 3 was officially established as 28 July 1973. Additional Details: Launch date of Skylab 3 set..

• 1973 Jul 12 - Joint Skylab 3 flight readiness reviews. 

  Joint Skylab 3 flight readiness reviews and thermal shield design certification reviews were held at KSC. A comprehensive series of center reviews were completed before, and in preparation for, the flight readiness reviews.

• 1973 Jul 25 - Planning meetings for the 59-day Skylab 3 mission. 

  Twice-weekly experiment planning meetings were being instituted for the 59-day Skylab 3 mission. The purpose of the meetings was to formulate a balanced set of experiment requirements for each upcoming week based on a consideration of plans for the remainder of the mission.

• 1973 Jul 28 - Skylab 3  Crew: Bean, Garriott, Lousma. Spacecraft: Apollo CSM. Payload: Apollo CSM 117. Mass: 20,121 kg (44,359 lb). Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Saturn I. Duration: 59.46 days. Perigee: 422 km (262 mi). Apogee: 442 km (274 mi). Inclination: 50.00 deg. Period: 93.20 min.

  Skylab 3 View of the expended S-IVB second stage of Skylab 3 space vehicle... Credit- NASA

  Continued maintenance of the Skylab space station and extensive scientific and medical experiments. Installed twinpole solar shield on EVA; performed major inflight maintenance; doubled record for length of time in space. Completed 858 Earth orbits and 1,081 hours of solar and Earth experiments; three EVAs totalled 13 hours, 43 minutes.

  The space vehicle, consisting of a modified Apollo command and service module payload on a Saturn IB launch vehicle, was inserted into a 231.3 by 154.7 km orbit. Rendezvous maneuvers were performed during the first five orbits as planned. During the rendezvous, the CSM reaction control system forward firing engine oxidizer valve leaked. The quad was isolated. Station-keeping with the Saturn Workshop began approximately 8 hours after liftoff, with docking being performed about 30 minutes later.

• - 1973 July 28 - September 25 - Skylab 3 activation activities curtailed.  Spacecraft: Skylab, Apollo ATM.

  The Skylab 3 crewmen experienced motion sickness during the first three visit days. Consequently, the Orbital Workshop activation and experiment implementation activities were curtailed. By adjusting the crew's diet and maintaining a low workload, the crew was able to complete the adjustment to space flight in five days, after which flight activities returned to normal. On 25 September, the command module was reactivated and the crew performed the final OWS closeout. Following undocking and separation, the command module entered the atmosphere and landed in the Pacific Ocean approximately 300 km southwest of San Diego. Splashdown was at 6:20 p.m. EDT. The recovery ship, U.S.S. New Orleans, retrieved the command module and crew 42 minutes after landing. The total flight time was 1427 hours 9 minutes 4 seconds. Additional Details: Skylab 3 activation activities curtailed..

• 1973 Aug 2 - Skylab 3 RCS problems 

  On 2 August the service module reaction control system engines were inhibited, and the isolation valves closed because of another leak. Acceptable control modes and deorbit and entry procedures were defined, consistent with the constraints imposed by the two reaction control system problems.

• 1973 Aug 6 - Anomalies during micrometeoroid shield testing.  Spacecraft: Skylab.

  Skylab 3 View of the Skylab space station cluster photographed against black sky... Credit- NASA

  Anomalies that had occurred during micrometeoroid shield testing were summarized. Additional Details: Anomalies during micrometeoroid shield testing..

• 1973 Aug 7 - EVA Skylab 3-1  Crew: Garriott, Lousma. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.27 days. Spacecraft: Skylab.

  Installed second sunshade. Replaced solar camera film cartridges. During EVA by crew members of Skylab 3, a twin-boom sunshade, developed by MSFC, was deployed over the parasol of the OWS. A redesigned and refined thermal parasol had been launched with Skylab 3. However, its use would have required jettisoning the parasol deployed by crew members of Skylab 2, with the possibility of creating the same thermal problems that existed on the OWS prior to the parasol deployment. Following erection of the twin-pole sunshade, the cabin temperature stayed at a comfortable 293-297 K (67.7°F-74.9°F).

• 1973 Aug 24 - EVA Skylab 3-2  Crew: Garriott, Lousma. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.19 days. Spacecraft: Skylab.

  Replaced solar camera film cartridges; installed replacement gyroscopes.

• - 1973 September - Skylab Rescue (cancelled)  Crew: Brand, Lind. Spacecraft: Apollo Rescue CSM.

  Influenced by the stranded Skylab crew portrayed in the book and movie 'Marooned', NASA provided a crew rescue capability for the only time in its history. A kit was developed to fit out an Apollo command module with a total of five crew couches. In the event a Skylab crew developed trouble with its Apollo CSM return craft, a rescue CSM would be prepared and launched to rendezvous with the station. It would dock with the spare second side docking port of the Skylab docking module. During Skylab 3, one of the thruster quads of the Apollo service module developed leaks. When the same problem developed with a second quad, the possibility existed that the spacecraft would not be maneuverable. Preparation work began to fit out a rescue CSM, and astronauts Vance Brand and Don Lind began preparations to rescue astronauts Bean, Garriott, and Lousma aboard the station. However the problem was localized, work arounds were developed, and the first space rescue mission was not necessary. The Skylab 3 crew returned successfully in their own Apollo CSM at the end of their 59 day mission.

• 1973 Sep 18 - Fish and embryo to be returned to JSC by Skylab 3. 

  Skylab 3 View of the Skylab space station cluster photographed against black sky... Credit- NASA

  Fish and embryo that were part of a Skylab science demonstration would be returned to JSC by Skylab 3, provided that one or more of the fish were still alive at the time of deactivation. Additional Details: Fish and embryo to be returned to JSC by Skylab 3..

• 1973 Sep 21 - The final Earth resources experiment package pass for Skylab 3 ended. 

  In all, 39 Earth-oriented passes, six solar inertial passes, two Earth-limb surveys, and two lunar calibration sequences were completed. Additional Details: The final Earth resources experiment package pass for Skylab 3 ended..

• 1973 Sep 22 - EVA Skylab 3-3  Crew: Bean, Garriott. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.11 days. Spacecraft: Skylab.

  Replaced film cartridges for solar camera.

• 1973 Sep 25 - All primary mission objectives for Skylab 3 were accomplished.  Spacecraft: Skylab, Apollo ATM.

  Additional Details: All primary mission objectives for Skylab 3 were accomplished..

• 1973 Sep 25 - Landing of Skylab 3 

  Skylab 3 landed at 22:19 GMT.

• 1973 Oct 4 - An ad hoc committee to analyze the vestibular problems which occurred in previous manned space flights. 

  An ad hoc committee was established to analyze the vestibular problems which occurred in previous manned space flights and to make recommendations concerning prevention and control on future flights. Particular emphasis was placed on the experiences of the Skylab 3 crew. As a result of the committee meeting, it was recommended that the crewmen of SL-4 take anti-motion-sickness medication immediately upon orbital insertion and follow this with periodic doses for the first three days of flight.

• 1973 Oct 24 - A review of Skylab 3 medical data and SL-4 mission planning was conducted by the NASA Administrator. 

  Among the items covered were a plan for measuring both the pre- and postflight cardiac outputs of the SL-4 crew; elimination of all activities in the deactivation sequence not absolutely required; and a plan for accommodation of the circadian shift necessary for missions of various durations.