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CHAPTER 3
1972 is coming ! Brace yourself for an eventful year in NASA history...

“…Yet another extrapolation is what McDonnell Douglas call the Advanced Skylab. Using the back-up orbital workshop as one component of the new design, NASA would need to convert a redundant S-IVB stage for mating to the existing tank of the Skylab craft at the forward end.

The docking adapter and airlock module of the current spacecraft would be deleted and a supply module, delivered by a Big Gemini, would provide a longer lifetime than the present design, where consumable items are the limiting factor.

Obviously this particular proposal, unlike the previous suggestions, is ideally suited to succeed the cancelled shuttle, and the annual financing is reduced owing to the slower pace of development.
There are many virtues to such a proposal.

It would provide genuine multi-national participation in scientific experiments and support a broad spectrum of Earth orientated investigations.

It would also enable good use to be made of existing hardware at minimum cost by providing a continuation of Skylab experience on the basis of missions already planned.

But even more important, it would provide valuable experience for astronauts and cosmonauts in working together in space, cementing the very best in international co-operation.
In all these major proposals, however, the continuation of manned space operations is the driving force. There is much to be said for allocating a small portion of the budget to a well-balanced investment in a continuation of manned orbital flight.

Many influential and knowledgeable scientists endorsed the NASA plans to invest so much of its funds in a reusable transporter. But the ending of flights could be unwise at a time when NASA is hard-pressed to retain the nucleus of an experienced team in these financially lean years.
Nevertheless, not all the equipment, although man-rated, need be used for costly missions. By incorporating redundant hardware into planetary, astronomical and Earth-science research, the remaining, mothballed heavy launchers of the Apollo era can be used to lift valuable payloads to space.

For example, both the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Ames Research Centre have expressed great interest in a Jupiter orbiter mission. Both organisations are heavily committed to supporting planetary exploration, being responsible for the Mariner and Pioneer fly-by spacecraft respectively.
Using a Saturn IB/Centaur/ Burner-II combination the space agency could launch a 2,3001b Mariner spacecraft toward Jupiter in September 1978. Thirty months later the spacecraft would go into orbit around this giant planet to continue the exploration begun with Pioneers 10 and 11. The only other launch vehicle suited to such a mission is the Titan IIID/Centaur/ Burner II, which would require expensive uprating to perform the flight.

Astronomical sciences are to be served by the Large Space Telescope, a 20,0001b-25,0001b craft which will be placed in a 350-420 nautical miles orbit at a 28-5° inclination. It had been assigned to one of the early shuttle flights; with cancellation of the project, the LST might be launched by a Saturn IB without modification, and housed at launch within a conventional 260in diameter Skylab shroud.

The only other suitable launch vehicle is the Titan III, but the weight in this case would be limited to 18,0001b and the circular orbit reduced to 330 nautical miles, reducing the experiment payload within the spacecraft and shortening its life.

Skylab launchings are scheduled from November, 1972, to May, 1973, and the project will likely get about $500-million in next year's budget-up from $405-million in fiscal 1971.

Much of the increase NASA seeks for the unmanned part of fiscal 1972 budget will be carved out for the Viking program. Viking, on which Martin Marietta Corp. is prime contractor, could receive about $185-million next year, up from $28-million.

Even when the shuttle was alive, NASA did not stopped planning capsule missions - if only to use remaining Apollo hardware. Skylab and the joint flight with the Soviets will expend four Apollo ships; yet three more remain. They are, respectively a Skylab rescue vehicle and two lunar spacecrafts build for the cancelled Apollo 19 and Apollo 20 landings.

What to with these ships has been the subject of interesting brainstormings.

The remaining Apollos could perform more flights to Skylab - either a fourth to Skylab A, or three to the backup vehicle known as Skylab B.

Alternate joint flights with the Soviets have been considered, involving Salyut or Skylab itself, or a combining of Apollo, Soyuz and the two aforementioned space stations.

It has also been proposed Apollo flew alone - on remote sensing missions. In this case the Apollo would carry multispectral cameras into the SIM bay, an instrument recess on the side of the service module.

An alternate fly-alone mission would have tested shuttle hardware, for example the robotic arm. It would have been carried on the service module, and could even have been flown on the internaional flight. In this case the arm would be used to remove the docking module from Apollo nose.

An Apollo moonship could also test the shuttle thermal protection system - made of ceramic tiles - or even fly precursor "sortie modules".

The sortie lab is a pressurized canister carried into the shuttle payload bay, essentially a surrogate space station for which Europe shows some interest. Which in turn bring the concept of european astronauts flying aboard an Apollo, a somewhat fascinating prospect.

It remain to be seen whether one of these concepts may return, one way or another... put together they form a viable nucleus for a non-shuttle manned spaceflight program.


Source : ADVANCED SKYLAB ? Flight International, January 20 1972
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