[Rca2000]

This is something I find VERY interestinig. And, after a very disappointing week, It is good to have some "breathing space".

Skylab was, IMHO, something that should have been saved. I recall, back when it was getting ready to re-enter, there was talk of sending some kind of "booster package" to the station, to reestablish its proper orbit. Then, something happened(probably ol' peanut man pulled the money for it) and nixed that idea. I am not sure it it was an unmanned vehicle that would dock with the station, or one that was supposed to ride up on the shuttle(which was also a victim of Carter's budget axe, resulting in delays and probably inferior design compromises).

And it is a shame, too-- I remember when it came down-- there was a lot os speculation as to where it would come down, and many people wanted a "piece of it". A few lucky people did get some pieces of the remains after reentry.

Had the station been revitalized, it could have been a vital asset in the '80's and the Reagan era, when Space exploration was given a higher priority. It would have been nice to see a whole new generation of crews in the station, a couple of times a year or more, over several years. Then too-- the technological advancements could have been implemented on Skylab(the electronics on it were late '60's vintage, I doubt it had more total computing power than a 1981 IBM pc-- never mind a modern computer). It could have been retrofitted with better solar panels, and maybe even a nuclear thremopile generator. With regular maintenance and attention--it is quite possible that it could still be up there today-- and actively manned on a regular occasion.

But all of this is just hindsight, and the brilliant Carter administration just allowed it to die.

Just like they did to the military, and the economy of the period.

[Army Air Corps]

Yes, I have some of the concept drawings for the booster package as well as the propsal for saving Skylab. The prime contractors for Skylab, NASA, and the three crews beleived that it could be done and with funds available. At the very least, NASA could have boosted it into higher orbit until the Shuttle was "online". The idea was for the first Shuttle flight to be a repair and unpgrade mission (replace gyros, computers, perform repairs to the micrometeoroid shield, etc.). Alas, Congress said, "Nay" and SkyLab was condemed to incineration.

[Army Air Corps]

I am not sure it it was an unmanned vehicle that would dock with the station, or one that was supposed to ride up on the shuttle...

The documents that I have indicate that there were two proposals. One was an automated booster package that could be rocketed to SkyLab and dock with the station. Another plan involved sending a ooster package with the Shuttle.

[Army Air Corps]

Well, there were plans to use Skylab as living quarters and as a storage facility for crews working on the proposed 1980s space station (Space Station Freedom).

I also read a proposal to...attached a booster to Skylab that could send it to the Moon and park it in Lunar orbit! The idea being that it could serve as a base for further moon shots.

Also, the contractors built more than one Skylab. There was the one that was launched, a backup (now in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum), and one for use as a training article. There was a proposal to dock the backup with the Skylab that was in orbit and make one big station.

[Nowhere Man]

Had the station been revitalized, it could have been a vital asset in the '80's and the Reagan era, when Space exploration was given a higher priority. It would have been nice to see a whole new generation of crews in the station, a couple of times a year or more, over several years. Then too-- the technological advancements could have been implemented on Skylab(the electronics on it were late '60's vintage, I doubt it had more total computing power than a 1981 IBM pc-- never mind a modern computer). It could have been retrofitted with better solar panels, and maybe even a nuclear thremopile generator. With regular maintenance and attention--it is quite possible that it could still be up there today-- and actively manned on a regular occasion.

Yeah, it was a bummer that it was wasted. Originally, it was called, "Manned Orbiting Laboritory," and it was supposed to use Gemini capsules to ferry the crews up there. I have some articles on it in some old Popular Science mags from the late 1960's. I dunno how long you could have made Skylab last, maybe up to 1990 or so, but I think it should have been kept up in competition to the Soviet Salyut and MIR stations.

There was a simulation for the Apple ][+ or //e series where you are NASA and control the budget the government gives you. You design and launch the space station, schedule construction and research missions, choose astronauts, payloads, and so on. I have it on an Apple emulator I occasionally use. Very tough game to do. One time I sent up a scientific crew and ran out of money, basically, they just sat up on space for 2 years doing nothing. I was never as good atfinance as I am with the science end of things. I know if I was an astronaut, I'd want to take my Playstation and all Final Fantasy games with me, at least if that happened to me, I could pass the time. B-D