Skylab, launched in 1973, was the first U.S. space station.   At the time, it was the biggest satellite ever built. It had the first manned telescope in space, the Apollo telescope. Skylab weighed 100 tons (91 metric tons) and was 118 feet (36 m) long when an Apollo space capsule was docked to it. Skylab was made from a converted fuel tank from a Saturn rocket. It orbited Earth at an altitude of 310 miles (495 km). Skylab was launched into space without anyone on board. After the space station was in orbit, astronauts used an Apollo spacecraft to go up and dock with Skylab and to come home again.

Skylab had three sections: the orbital workshop, the multiple docking adapter (MDA) and the airlock module. The orbital workshop was the main working and living area. It was big by space standards--48 feet(15 m) long and 22 feet (7 m) in diameter. It had two stories divided by a metal screen floor. The lower floor had a kitchen area, a sleeping area, a bathroom area and an area for scientific work. The upper floor was one big room and was used for experiments.

The MDA was  like a garage. It had two docking spaces: one for the Apollo spacecraft that brought the astronauts, the other for a rescue craft. The MDA was 17 feet (5m) long and 10 feet (3m) in diameter. There was a furnace in the MDA which the astronauts used for welding, metal working and crystal making experiments. The controls for the Apollo telescope were also in this area. The tunnel-like airlock module had doors at either end and connected the orbital workshop and the MDA. The airlock module had a side door which the astronauts used to leave the craft for space walks.

Three different crews of three astronauts lived and worked on Skylab. The first crew went to Skylab on May 25, 1973 and stayed 28 days. They had a very important mission: to repair damage that happened when the space station was launched on May 14. The station’s heat shield and one of its two solar panels were ripped off. Another solar panel was damaged and wouldn’t open. The temperature inside Skylab went way up. Skylab also needed more electricity. The crew put a sunshade over the damaged part and fixed the stuck solar panel. Then Skylab worked just fine.

The second crew launched on July 28,1973 and stayed in space for 59 days. They did many scientific experiments. They studied storms on Earth and studied the Sun. They also did many medical experiments. They even took a spider with them to see if it could spin a web without gravity. The first web didn’t look so great, but the spider did better when it tried again.

The final crew joined Skylab on November 16, 1973. They stayed in orbit for 84 days, the longest time yet. Scientists on Earth were very interested in seeing how the astronauts’ bodies would react to being in space for so long. The astronauts stayed healthy even though they became a little taller and their muscles became a little smaller because of the microgravity. This crew was able to have a great view of the Comet Kohoutek.

Skylab orbited Earth for five years (with no humans inside) after the third crew of astronauts left. In July, 1979 Skylab was pulled back to Earth by gravity. Most of the space station burned up from friction as it fell. Some of Skylab landed in the Indian Ocean and some pieces landed in Australia. Nobody was hit on ground.

Skylab provided a great deal of information that helped NASA prepare for future space missions and the International Space Station.

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