More Details for 1972-12-07
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Objection was voiced to a proposal that the Saturn V backup launch capability and all activities associated with it be terminated immediately following the first manned mission of Skylab.
Reasons for the objection were NASA would be placed in the position of retaining a backup capability for the most reliable portions of Skylab and disposing of that capability for the most immature elements such as the Workshop and solar arrays.
Cost of storing these elements at the factory during the missions would be small since flight support and postflight analysis would need to be retained until the spring of 1974. Without the backup capability, the possibility existed that the program could end up with no 28-day medical data, no science data, and no EREP data, just a $2.6-billion failure.