#skylab 2

SCAN AND REMASTERED by Dan Beaumont: link

"Artist's rendering shows how Command Service Module (CSM) will dock with the Orbiting Workshop (OWS) during the Skylab mission. Assisting in the docking is the VHF Ranging System designed and built by RCA Government Communications Systems, Camdem, N.J. The system provides the CMS pilot with the range between the two spacecraft. Ranging is performed by sending radio tones from the CSM to the workshop, which retransmits them to the CSM. The range is determined by measuring the time between the transmission of the tones and receipt of the OWS retransmitted."

Date: May 12, 1973

Skylab 2 launched on May 25, 1973 and was flown by Pete Conrad, Joe Kerwin, and Paul Weitz. It was the first crewed Skylab mission and spent 28 days in space, setting the American duration record. The crew returned to Earth on June 22

Designed by science fiction illustrator Kelly Freas

Has Roman numeral “I” (1) to avoid public confusion

Was the second Skylab mission (SL-2) but the first crewed (SLM-1)

Skylab design coincides with Nordic runes for “mother”, “father”, and “family of man”

Eclipse is included for artistic balance

Depicts Skylab silhouette against blue Earth

I wanted to reblog this from a now-defunct space blog but tumblr had marked the original post “explicit” 🤔

May 26, 1973 - One day following launch, Astronauts Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr., Paul Weitz, and Joseph Kerwin enter Skylab as its first crew, staying until June 22 for almost 673 hours and 404 orbits of the Earth.

During the unmanned launch of the station on May 14th, the sunshade and a jammed solar panel were damaged, threatening the crew with a lack of power and excessive temperatures that threatened to spoil food and damage electronics. The launch of Skylab 2 would be delayed 10 days until repair procedures could be developed. 

Following rendezvous and docking with the station, the crew deployed a parasol which allowed temperatures to drop enough for the crew to safely enter. Two weeks later, Conrad and Kerwin performed an EVA to free the jammed solar array, which would not deploy due to debris from the torn sunshade. Once the debris was removed, the array began to deploy, but again was stuck in place due to a frozen hinge. Conrad and Kerwin pulled on the array to free it, and were nearly thrown from the station when the array sprung open, saved by their tethers.