dit you know that manufactor Douglas proposed civil MOL to NASA back in 1968 ?
one year befor it got canceled by Nixon Administration
but NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine show no interest in NASA MOL
he wanted all ambitions projects (Skylab AAP) carried out with Apollo Hardware
But wat if Thomas O. Paine
never became Administrator of NASA?
another men take his his place, let call him "Goodspeed"
In order to save the 1968 NASA budget proposal he has to make deep cut in Programs
and stay focus on it main program Apollo, No misuse of Saturn V for other things like Skylab or Mars Voyager
so Skylab dies quiet and Goodspeed takes lowcost replacement MOL with TItan IIIM rocket
US Congress and Senat, Nixon Administration are happy.
Apollo goes with 20 Mission and USAF MOL Program is transfer to NASA
(with 1/3 allready payed by USAF and without military reconnaissance Hardware)
in 1970 the MOL 1 blast off, qualification flight Titan IIIM and unmanned Gemini B
from 1972 a thirty days MOL mission is launch, between the two Apollo Mission of year.
but Apollo Prgramm had its Problems
1970 Apollo 13 delay the MOL program also because the used same Fuelcell.
1974 Apollo 20 end in problems: one CSM RCS stop to work, another start to leak
lucky this was after docking with LM, so the Mission becomes a orbital one around the moon
Goodspeed declare after "second successful failure", the Use of Apollo CSM for terminate.
the ASTP will be replace by MOL 6 mission equipped with docking module APAS-75.
NOTE:
In 1968 things don't look good at NASA
the Apollo Program delayed: Apollo CSM redesign, LM not ready, Saturn V little problems
US Congress and Senat refused the 1968 NASA budget proposal
with Mars Voyager gigant probe who need a Saturn V to launch two units
the Johnson Administration gave order to Stop manufacturing the Saturn V
and scrapping the almost complet units SA-516 & SA-517
Administrator James Webb left NASA and is replace by
Thomas O. Paine ( with his "I want 2001 space Odysse Infrastructure NOW!" posture )
The Orbital Workshop (early Skylab) had run into Problems
the use a spend S-IVB stage in orbit and convert it into "Wet" orbital Workshop
So the program used only Saturn-IB, but NASA start worried that crew get damage to one's health
because convert and living in spend Fueltank.
Thomas O. Paine decided to launch modified S-IVB Dry "Skylab" with a Saturn V, on the sacrifices of a Apollo Mission