The Skylab-3 mission, the second manned mission to the space station Skylab was used for the longest scientific experiments in space that the US had known until then * Another chapter in the series on the history of the space program
The flight was extended by three days to allow the astronauts to land closer to California and at a distance of 300 km from San Diego, instead of 1000 km as planned, and in this way to shorten the time during which they must wear the protective suits used by the first crew after returning to Israel.
Since the 6 gyroscopes broke down in the laboratory after Skylab 2 landed, the spacecraft was equipped with additional gyroscopes. The weight of the spaceship slightly exceeded the permissible due to the large load it carried. This equipment included:
1. A permanent awning to replace the makeshift awnings installed by the first team. A concern arose that the current canopies create too much shade and that the solar racks must provide some of the power to heat the lab. For this purpose, Griot and Lusma were tasked with performing a space tour, already on the third day of the flight, to replace the awnings.
2. New heat regulator for the cooling system of the hard channel in the air barrier cabin. The former frequently stalled when the Skylab 2 pilots performed their first operations outside the laboratory.
3. Straps to strengthen the devices when their original straps broke like the ergometer.
4. Additional tape recorders in case the ones in the lab break down.
5. Fluoride camera for instant photos.
6. Exercise equipment for strengthening muscles.
7. a. Personal equipment such as toothpastes and ointments that were damaged when some laboratory equipment was damaged due to malfunctions.
B. underwear.
third. Waste boxes.
Griot, Lousma and Bean continued the studies and measurements begun by their predecessors. Additional experiments included testing the possibilities of producing more energy than has been done so far and measuring the radiation waves near the sun. The intention was to find out their influence on the country's climate. Griot is responsible for all solar measurements.
New biological experiments were also planned. One of them is related to spiders. In the laboratory, a special chamber was installed with two spiders in it to see how they create their webs in weightless conditions. Another research item is an aquarium. In this case the goal was to test changes in the behavior of the fish under conditions of weightlessness. Medical experiments planned for this flight are designed to check if there are chemical changes in the body's cells due to a prolonged stay in space, and to check if the functioning capacity of the immune system is not undermined.
To enable constant and continuous operation of the cameras, the astronauts had to make two trips outside the laboratory to change the photographic films, once in the middle of the flight and a second time towards the end of their flight. The day before takeoff on July 27, the laboratory's main systems were activated. The atmospheric pressure reached its standard state and the temperature was 25 degrees. A principled and important decision made on the eve of the flight was to check the health of the astronauts every week at the end of the first 28 days and based on that to determine if it is possible to continue the flight.
First week, from July 28 to August 3
July 28 - 8 hours after launch and while performing some maneuvers, the spacecraft stuck to the laboratory. During the flight there was a small malfunction. Liquid helium leaked from one of the navigation engines. In the first hours of the flight, the astronauts fell ill with space sickness, similar in symptoms to seasickness. Lusma did not eat and swallowed anti-nausea pills, Griot and Binn also complained of feelings in the stomach.
July 29 - due to their bad feeling, the astronauts entered the laboratory very slowly. They spent their first hours in the laboratory sleeping. After waking up, they checked the laboratory, activated its systems and began transferring equipment from the spaceship. Due to their health, their work proceeded slowly. They felt sick and Lusma threw up twice. He took anti-nausea pills. They complained of lack of appetite at lunch. Bean reported problems with balance and asked for additional rest for recovery. The work on this day was done according to the ability of the astronauts and without considering schedules.
July 30 - some jobs were canceled. The doctors suggested that the astronauts sleep for a few hours. A little while later, a malfunction in a secondary system activated the alarm mechanism and woke them up. The transfer of the equipment from the spacecraft continued. According to their request, the first train activity was postponed for 24 hours. Later there was an improvement in their condition and the doctors allowed them to increase the work rate to catch up with the schedule.
The head of NASA's medical team, Dr. Charles Berry, discovered for the first time that staying in space causes the heart to shrink by 5% (this was also the case with the Skylab 2 pilots), so he took care of their health. He claimed that until now it was not known what the rate of contraction of the heart muscle was because the tests so far were not accurate. Until the launch of Skylab 2, staying in space did not affect the health of the astronauts. In the months after the short flights, it was not clear how the heart reacts during long flights. At the end of the work, the astronauts fell asleep for a few hours. At that time one of the lab tanks leaked. The fault was fixed from the ground up. The noise of the leak woke up the astronauts. The tank was checked again and they went back to sleep.
August 31 - the astronauts still had not recovered from their illness and it was decided to postpone the installation of the awning for another day. As a substitute for leaving the laboratory, the astronauts engaged in training on the ergometer. They tested an aquarium full of fish to see how they behave in weightlessness. In the meantime Griot and Bean have almost completely recovered. Lusma felt a little better and felt no more sensations, although he walked slowly. The exit from the laboratory was postponed until August 4.
The chief physician at the control center, Dr. Roy Hawkins, expressed his opinion that the astronauts are going through a process of adapting to the weightlessness, and that they will recover and fulfill their mission. If the illness lasts another week or more, the astronauts will return to Israel. For this purpose, a special platform was prepared to transfer them from the landing place straight to the ship. All this to prevent them from making any effort, even the slightest. There was concern that any effort could cause fractures in their bones which would weaken during the long flight. The instructions the astronauts received were not to try to walk during the first period after their return to Earth.
August 1 - The health of the astronauts gradually improved. Griot reported that breakfast was eaten without having to take anti-nausea pills. Today, the scientific experiments were conducted in full for the first time, most of the experiments were medical.
August 2 - Another malfunction was discovered in the spacecraft's two navigation engines. They had an abnormal drop in temperatures and a leak was discovered in their oxidation system. The malfunctions almost resulted in the flight being canceled and landing the next day, near Hawaii. Through the laboratory window the astronauts noticed a flow of sparkling particles. From tests done later it became clear that the fault is not as serious as they first thought. The emergency landing was canceled and the astronauts were instructed to continue their journey. According to a new proposal, it was decided to send a rescue team. The rescue operation must be carried out using the Apollo spaceship intended for Skylab 4 when it is manned by Vance Brand and Dean Lind. The launch cannot take place before September 10. The large time interval until the launch of the rescue team increased the possibility of correcting the malfunction and thus bringing the flight of Skylab 3 according to the plan.
In order not to waste time, the working hours were increased beyond 40 hours per week and it was done in shifts. All this in order to fully complete the original plan. Going out of the lab was postponed again for a few days. If the astronauts recover by then, there is a possibility of checking the source of the leaks, photographing them and transmitting the images to Israel. An action that can make it easier for the engineers and technicians to fix the fault.
Second week, from August 4 to 10
August 4th - a short that lasted 3 seconds woke the astronauts from their sleep. The fault has been fixed. The planned work on the telescopes has been temporarily canceled until the source of the malfunction is clarified. Instead of engaging in astronomical observations, medical experiments were performed.
August 5 - Preparations were made for going outside the laboratory the next day and photographing the Earth.
August 6 - Serious leaks were discovered from the two cooling systems of the laboratory most vital to the electronic system. They pose no immediate danger to the astronauts' lives, but they may create problems in the long run. It was assumed that the cooling systems would not be able to work within 60 days, so a proposal was made to advance the launch of the third team. Today the Earth was photographed.
After a week's delay, the astronauts went outside the station to replace the canopy. They had to do the job within two hours but it took another two hours. Griot and Lusma encountered difficulties when deploying the awning and moving it inside two rails. Testing the spacecraft's navigation engines required them to stay outside the laboratory for an additional time. A job that took another two hours and 31 minutes. No malfunctions or signs of leakage were found. In total, they stayed outside the laboratory for 6 hours and 31 minutes.
Griot and Lusma inserted photographic films into the batteries and checked if the electrical wires were shorting. No fault was found. Bin supervised the work all the time and was ready to help them if needed.
August 7th - The telescopes went into operation and thus the fear of another short circuit to the one that happened on August 4th was removed. The normal operation of the telescopes allowed Griot to carry out a new study in the study of the sun.
August 8 - The natural treasures of the USA were explored.
August 9 - The astronauts surveyed the natural treasures in western Canada and the eastern USA. The spider Arabella was able to weave webs in conditions of weightlessness.
August 10 - the first day of rest. The astronauts got up two hours later than usual and cleaned the lab.
Third week, from August 11 to 17
August 11 - The astronauts were busy for a long time fixing the malfunctions that plagued the spacecraft and the laboratory, and the doctors became concerned that they were not exercising enough. The doctors and the astronauts considered changing the flight plan for the next few days so that the astronauts could devote more time to exercise. Geological surveys were carried out today.
August 12 - Geological surveys were conducted from Oakland in the western United States to the western Amazon in Brazil. Two volcanoes were photographed, one in southern Japan and the other in the western United States.
August 13 - Bean examined the space suit for 4 hours with the propulsion system attached to it. He hovered at a speed of 0.6 meters/second and reported that the suit was easy to operate.
August 14 - Observations were made towards the sun. The space engineers came to the final conclusion that the crew could continue their flight as planned and that no rescue spacecraft would be launched.
August 15 - The astronauts and space engineers conducted another test on the spacecraft and came to the conclusion that it could return to Israel on its own. However, it was decided not to leave anything to the fate of the blind man and preparations continued for the dispatch of a rescue team. Biological experiments were conducted today. Two fish laid eggs. At the request of the astronauts, the order of work was changed again to allow them time to conduct more experiments.
August 17 - Observations towards the sun and experiments with the motorized space suits were conducted.
Fourth week, from August 18 to 24
August 18 - for 5 hours observations were made towards the sun and then the astronauts began the second day of rest and cleaned the laboratory.
August 19 - The astronauts tested the shoes of the suits while they were motorized. A tropical storm was photographed over the Gulf of Mexico, unusual land structures were photographed in the Straits of Magellan, a volcano in the South Pacific Ocean and a group of islands in this ocean. Observations were made towards the sun and biochemical experiments were carried out.
August 20 - Medical experiments were conducted. A leak was discovered in the air conditioning system. An attempt to repair the leak was unsuccessful.
August 21 - A storm was photographed in the Gulf of Mexico. While observations were made towards the Sun, a huge bubble was discovered in its upper atmosphere. The bubble covered 75% of her face. It was estimated that the source of the bubble was a massive explosion of the type that causes communication disturbances. Another attempt to fix the leak in the air conditioning system failed.
August 22 - medical experiments were conducted. Photographing the Sun and Discovering Minerals Another attempt was made to repair the leak and it was also unsuccessful.
August 23 - Medical experiments were conducted. One of the experiments was done on spiders. The astronauts checked what the shape of the spider webs is, geometric or any other shape, due to zero acceleration.
August 24 - Griot and Lusma worked outside the lab for 4 and a half hours. The preparations for the departure took a long time and led to the postponement of the off-train work by an hour. This is because they have made every effort to enable maximum safety when working outside the laboratory. When they got outside, Griot collected the film and Lusma installed 6 new gyroscopes in place of the broken ones. The lab has 9 such gyroscopes. This is the lab's stabilization system. They broke down during the first crew's return to Earth. The installation of the new gyroscopes was necessary. The original work plan was 4 hours and it was extended by half an hour. Griot and Lusma were tied to the laboratory with a cable, 18 meters long. While they worked Bean monitored the stability of the lab using its monitoring devices. Losma needed only 10 minutes to replace the gyroscope case. After installation, he leaned on the telescope and excitedly reported the appearance of the sun. The location of some items in the lab has been changed to facilitate off-vehicle activity in the future. The laboratory route today was 500 km.
Thursday week, from August 25 to 31
August 25 - solar observations, photographing South America and cleaning the laboratory. From today until the end of the flight, the emphasis is shifted to medical experiments.
August 26 - 5 of the 17 batteries lost 40% of their power and there was concern that some observations towards the Earth would be canceled if the batteries continued to lose power. This malfunction does not pose any danger to the lives of the astronauts or the fate of the flight. The repair of the faults has been postponed until a later date. The battery system is able to absorb a loss of 20% - 25% of its power due to natural wear and tear. Today the astronauts are resting and cleaning the laboratory.
August 27 - observations of the sun and medical experiments were conducted. A flight controller in Houston explained that the problem with the batteries is not the ability to carry out the planned experiments, but their depletion. To perform the experiments, the laboratory must be rotated so that the cameras are directed towards the ground. In such a situation, the electrical power is "sucked" from the batteries because the solar shelf is not then directed towards the sun. A final decision will be made during the week.
August 28 - for 9 hours observations were made towards the sun. A rocket was later launched from Mexico to photograph a certain area on the sun's surface. At that moment the camera went into action and the astronauts photographed the area. At the end of those observations, he started photographing the Earth. The areas photographed are Paraguay, volcanic areas in Central America and areas with the potential to find oil in New Mexico and Mexico. The spiders continued to spin webs.
August 28 - 8 hours of observations towards the sun. In the biological experiments, the spiders and the fish were tested. It turned out that the spider spun webs better than the spider that had not yet gotten used to the lack of gravity. The fish have gotten used to the lack of gravity and swim naturally. Bean examined the motorized shoes.
August 30 - observations were made towards the sun. The storm was spotted in the Atlantic Ocean. Photographs of Paraguay, mountain ranges in Mali, where there is a chance of finding underground water.
August 31 - observations were made towards the sun. The health of the astronauts is good and the doctors approve the continuation of the flight until September 7. A tropical storm was photographed, probably a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean east of Trinidad.
Friday week, from September 1 to 7
September 1 - photographing the storm in the Atlantic Ocean. Photographing the movement of insects and rainfall in Africa, geological photographs of Africa with the aim of getting to know the soil structure of the continent better.
September 2 - The astronauts asked to extend their flight by another 5 to 10 days. In the control center it was decided not to respond to the request because this additional day would not serve any purpose. Storms in the Pacific Ocean were photographed and the atmospheric pressure in this area was measured. Photographs were taken in North Africa and South America near the Leawood Islands and detailed photographs of Chile, Argentina and Mali. The photographs were in color and were intended to test the quality of the images for mapping purposes and to what extent this mapping helps in finding minerals.
September 3 - The field of photography ranges from Chile to southern Italy. Comparison photos were taken between the Alps and the Pyrenees. Volcanoes were photographed in Italy. Detailed geological photography of Spain and France, ecological and navigational observations for Chile and meteorological observations for Argentina. In the Amazon of Brazil they discovered a new extension of the river 400 km long and reported 30-40 large fires in this country.
September 4 - Photographs to search for minerals in Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Italy and the Southern Sahara. More photos of a tropical storm in the USA and observations towards the sun.
September 5 - Observations towards the sun and photography of the Earth from Angelo Pango (in the Pacific Ocean) to the US-Canada border.
September 6 - observations towards the sun. They noticed a big explosion on the sun equal in strength to 1 million earthquakes. Objects in deep space have also been photographed.
September 7 - Photographs of Western Europe: volcanic activity in Italy, mapping of a cave in Germany, Spain, and rain clouds in the Pyrenees. In the observations of the sun, they again noticed a huge explosion bigger than the one photographed on September 6. This time the intensity of the explosion is equal to 100 million earthquakes capable of supplying energy to the earth for half a million years. The echoes of the explosion, the flames, reached a distance 17 times greater than the diameter of the earth.
Seventh week, from September 8 to 14
September 8 - Observations towards the sun are held in shifts. Again they noticed the explosion on her face. The footage of Earth included western Mexico, the central US and Canada.
September 9 - In the solar observations, a large explosion was noticed which caused communication disturbances in Nova Scotia. National observations on West Germany, Italy, the hot regions of Africa and prospecting for minerals in the USA.
September 10 - Photography of areas parked in West Africa to help find solutions to the dry weather.
September 11 - Observations were made towards the Earth and the Sun. The national observations included Western Europe: glaciers, air pollution and volcanoes. Observations towards Africa, especially Mali, in search of water sources.
September 12 - search for minerals and medical experiments.
September 13 - The national polls were directed towards Western Europe. Water exploration in the south of France and Spain, geological surveys in Switzerland and Italy. Photographs of underwater vegetation near the Bermuda Islands. They hoped to find and grow food in the water according to these photographs. Similar surveys conducted on the same day simultaneously by ships and planes failed. The solar observations and medical experiments continued as usual. The astronauts got used to the weightlessness so well that they were able to perform a greater number of experiments including those planned for the third crew.
September 14 - meteorological observations over the USA and Canada. The observations towards the sun lasted 7 hours. The space doctors confirmed the completion of the flight as planned. At the end of the seventh week the astronauts felt better than the first crew at the end of its 4 weeks of flight. The Director of NASA's Life Sciences Department, Dr. Charles Barry, said that the health and mental condition of the astronauts is better than expected. 5 days after the launch, each of them lost 2.1 kg and from then until the end of the flight their weight remained stable.
Eighth week, from September 15 to 21
September 15 - During two rounds, mineral sources in the USA were photographed and investigated. Mines in Indiana were photographed in an attempt to locate fissures in the rocks and other possible causes for the collapse of walls and tunnels. Some of the photographs were taken with the help of a local geological survey. Other footage was designed to reveal ecological impacts of open pit mining in Ohio, Indiana and air pollution in California. The effect of clouds on the weather was also measured.
September 16 - medical experiments, observations towards the sun and a survey of minerals of minerals were conducted for two laps. The astronauts practically completed the work plan that was planned for 59 days.
September 17 - Many experiments were conducted today in various fields. medical experiments. Arabella the spider probably died due to food she was not used to. Observations were made towards the sun. Geophysical measurements: the movement of the earth and prospecting for minerals in the eastern USA, western Europe and Japan. Conrad simulated the Apollo spacecraft to prepare safe landing methods for the damaged spacecraft.
September 18 - medical experiments and observations towards the sun, prospecting for minerals in Mexico, USA and Canada. On this day they worked with a French device. This instrument examines the ultraviolet glow from young stars. Astronomers hoped to learn how these stars are formed and based on this data to predict how stars will be formed in the future.
September 19 - Observations were made towards the sun, a search for minerals and a geological survey of a large area that stretches between France and Saudi Arabia through Switzerland, Italy and Israel. In Israel they photographed water sources and crops.
September 20 - Bin examined the spacecraft for 7 hours. Except for two systems of damaged navigation engines, the spacecraft was found to be in good condition for returning to Israel. At that time Lusma was engaged in astronomical observations. He photographed X-rays of bodies thousands of light years away from Earth.
September 21 - The astronauts test the connection and disconnection system of the spacecraft. Today we make the last observations of the Earth and observations towards the Sun. In a press conference held on this day, Lusma said that they have the strength to stay in space for another two months. According to his assessment, the team's excellent condition stems in no small part from the exercises they performed every day.
The space doctors decided not to publish the results of the flight immediately after landing. They were worried about the first team after it landed. Kerwin, Paul Weitz's responses took longer than expected. Before leaving the spacecraft for extravehicular activity on September 22, the astronauts underwent a medical examination.
Historical research
At the beginning of the week, the astronauts discussed a historical problem. Where did Hannibal cross the Alps 2000 years ago at the head of the Carthaginian army? The discussion began when the space lab passed over the Alps. Alan Bean reported to the control center that he found a passage in the Alps and expressed the hypothesis that Hannibal passed through there with his army. The control center people called three history professors. These pointed out that to this day it is not known exactly where exactly Hannibal crossed the Alps, whether at the Saint-Bernard Pass or at the Col-de-Mont-Jenvere Pass. The debate continued for a long hour until Griot announced that he had found thousands of other crossings.
Ninth week, from September 22 to 28
September 22 - Griot and Bean worked outside the lab for about two and a half hours. In the course of their work, they returned photographic films, inserted new films into the cameras and prepared them for action in preparation for the launch of the third team. All the while Lusma supervised their work.
September 23 - The astronauts are preparing to return to Israel. They transferred to the spacecraft photographic films, recording films, boxes with biological and medical experiments such as blood samples, feces and more. The medical trials continued.
September 24 - The astronauts completed the transfer of the equipment to the spacecraft, prepared the laboratory for the third crew and performed medical experiments.
September 25 - After sleeping, the astronauts continued preparations for landing. At the end of the preparations, they moved to the spaceship, disconnected it from the laboratory and landed two hours and 20 minutes later. The landing took place on September 26 at 00:20 Israel time. The disconnection from the laboratory is done with a modern method. The spacecraft landed 350 km southwest of San Diego California. In total, they stayed in the laboratory for 59 days, 11 hours and 9 minutes.
The astronauts brought to Israel a load of 77,600 photographs of the sun and 29 km of film of the Earth. This huge load is twice as much as planned, thanks in no small part to their overtime. They worked 12-16 hours a day, almost without weekly rest. The crew's rapid adaptation to life in the laboratory resulted in 305 hours of observation toward the Sun in 200th place and 39 passes over selected areas of the Earth in 26th place.
What contributed to this quite a bit is the laboratory's scientific instruments that functioned flawlessly and to a large extent than expected and planned for both the workload and the quality of the example solar rack that produced 6.5 - 5 kilowatts compared to the planned power of 7 kilowatts.
Psychiatric experiments
From the beginning of September, psychiatric experiments were conducted with the aim of examining the mental effects caused to astronauts during long flights. These experiments are based on the conversations between the control center and the astronauts and their analysis. Experiments of this type had not been conducted since the flight of Gemini 7 and were not popular with the astronauts. Dr. Charles Barry justified these experiments by arguing that some of the Apollo pilots who returned from the moon, and those participating in long flights, were probably affected by the unusual experiences they experienced or they reacted negatively to the fact that they became public figures overnight. And indeed problems of this kind arose. Apollo 11 pilot Edwin Aldrin encountered such mental problems and had to undergo psychiatric treatment. He suffered from bouts of depression and alternating moments of elation.
The medical condition of the astronauts after landing
The Skylab 3 pilots were picked up by the aircraft carrier New Orleans. Their medical condition was better than that of the first team. After landing Griot, Lusma and Bean left the spaceship on their own, towards the chairs they had prepared for them, albeit with somewhat faltering steps. Their condition was excellent. Blood pressure was normal. The heartbeat was weaker than expected but after a short time the heart returned to normal activity. The tests were done immediately after the spacecraft was lifted onto the aircraft carrier. They wore the pressure suits that stimulate blood circulation in the legs. A decrease of only 10-20% was measured in the state of the cardiovascular system. All the experiments assigned to them were carried out, which the first crew could not do after landing. Bean felt weak and anemic after landing.
The space doctors were surprised by the rapid adaptation of the astronauts and in particular of Dr. Griot to the conditions of the country. As expected, there were certain changes in the physiological structure. Their weight decreased. Bean lost 2.5 kg of his weight and the circumference of his calves is 2.5 cm smaller. Most of these changes occurred in the first half of the flight. On the 40th day of the flight, there was a general stabilization of the astronauts' health, including their weight and heart rate. The medical balance of both flights is positive. The loss of calcium was not particularly great, the ability to work did not change, the appetite was excellent and sleep came easily.
Mentally, the astronauts slowly got used to the fact of being on Earth. Lusma, for example, broke a bottle of aftershave. He thought he was in the space lab and "left" it in the air. On Griot's first night on Earth, his wife turned off the lights and as he climbed the stairs of his house he lost his balance. He said he couldn't stand unless he had a visual vantage point.
During the flight there were moments when the astronauts were stressed and in a bad mood. The first time it happened was when it became clear that the flight could be shortened due to the problems with the spacecraft. There were times when the relationship between them sharpened somewhat and reached a peak of tension 3-4 years later and then there were manifestations of intolerance towards each other. All in all, their situation was the same as family life when the events come in cycles. As a lesson from this, they suggested finding full employment for future astronauts.
Biological results
The spider Arabella died a day after landing and the lab-born fish died en route to Houston. The colony of mosquitoes and the pair of pocket mice that were in the spaceship's control room did not bring much benefit. After a few weeks of being in space a short circuit occurred in their heating mechanism and they froze to death.
- For the first part of the series on Skylab.
- to the second part of the series
- For the third part of the series
- For the fourth part of the series - the first manned flight Skylab 2
