International Skylab

[DominusNovus]

Skylab B - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It was proposed that a joint Skylab-Salyut station could be assembled in orbit, effectively becoming an early ISS. This was the era of the Apollo-Soyuz mission, so the notion is not all that out of the realm of possibility. So what if it happens? Further, what if the station is expanded in a modular fashion, similar to Mir and the ISS?

 

[Riain]

I think all the pieces are there to make it possible, although I think the limitation would be the number of docking ports on the two stations. Skylab B and Salyut 6 has 2 docking ports but one of each would be used linking the two stations together.

ASTP technology would have solved many of the compatibility problems, the Soyuz, Salyut and Skylab B could handle 9-10psi mixed oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and the Apollo airlock would address the Apollo 5psi O2 atmosphere issue. Between them the two startions have some cool stuff, Skylab had gyros for fuel efficient attitude adjustment and heaps of electrical power while Salyut had rockets to boost it's orbit and rotatable solar panels.

I think the biggest problem is that there are only 3 Apollo capsules, meaning only 2 missions can be attempted although they could be 120 day operations. However if the Soviets were on board and IIRC at the time Soyuz could do 90 days in space things could be arranged that 2 Apollo and 3 Soyuz missions could be flown together and then Skylab undocked and parked for the Space Shuttle.

 

[DominusNovus]

I had a similar idea that is close enough that I don’t think it warrants its own thread: a joint mission to the moon after Apollo 11. Kennedy had proposed a joint mission as the initial plan, which certainly wouldn’t work. Suppose around the time of the historical Apollo-Soyuz, NASA still has a few more moon landings planned, so after Apollo-Soyuz, they invite the Soviets to send along a Cosmonaut as a goodwill gesture?

The simple version would have the Cosmonaut ride with the Apollo crew the whole way. A more complex version could have the Cosmonaut do an EVA in orbit and transfer to the Apollo (maybe this could be a way of testing procedures for a rescue operation in orbit). The most complex could involve a 3-way docking module instead of the one used in Apollo-Soyuz, allowing the Apollo CSM and a Soyuz to dock with a lunar lander. This module might need to be carried on the Soyuz - not sure if the S-IVB would have room for both a lunar lander and a docking module.

 

[DominusNovus]

Piggybacking off this some more (refreshing my memory of the space program in the 60s after binging For All Mankind), suppose some version of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory is put into orbit.

Just spitballing here: the MOL (and maybe some Gemini Bs) is built prior to cancellation, but not launched. So it gets transferred to NASA and they decide to throw it up into orbit as a purely civilian space station - no point in letting the hardware go to was. Some modifications are made so it can dock with an Apollo command module, and NASA decides that its nice to have the extra flexibility that the station offers. They run some experiments, maybe send up supplies ahead of one of the lunar missions, basically just get the hang of operating a more complex and modular range of missions. For bragging rights, the US has now beaten the Soviets to launching a space station, as well as landing on the moon.

From here, maybe the MOL module can be connected with Skylab, to provide a larger overall station, and build up more experience connecting different modules together. This could be an excellent opportunity for the International Skylab mission to be put into effect.

A few knock-on effects: first off, it would be real nice if Robert Lawrence didn’t die, so he can be the first black astronaut in space (maybe even on the moon in this scenario). An interesting possibility is that, if the MOL is there, followed by Skylab or Skylab B, for long enough, maybe NASA decides to pull the trigger on the Big Gemini spacecraft, which makes supplying the station much easier than with Apollo - more volume. However, if NASA does go with Big Gemini, that could delay the Space Shuttle for quite awhile. That may turn out to be good for the Shuttle program - a later Shuttle could be better designed and maybe even approach the original goals of the program.

 

[DominusNovus]

Inspired by Boldly Going by @e of pi and others, I wonder if a “wet-dry” hybrid Skylab could be possible. Send Skylab B up, and pack it to the rafters with equipment to fit out a wet workshop module, which can then be sent up afterward and docked together (obviously, a docking module for an Apollo will be needed in between).

 

[Riain]

Whatever happens to Skylab B I think it would transform the perception of the Shuttle by giving it a destination to shuttle to.

 

[DominusNovus]

Whatever happens to Skylab B I think it would transform the perception of the Shuttle by giving it a destination to shuttle to.

Most likely. I didn’t share this earlier, but I should have:

The videos also envision a scenario in which both the Shuttle and Buran are docked at the International Skylab, which is fun.

Also, a relatively trivial idea popped into my head while groggy the other morning: a joint US-Soviet lunar base, and a male astronaut and female cosmonaut are stranded there for awhile, and fall for each other.

 

[Simon]

I had a similar idea that is close enough that I don’t think it warrants its own thread: a joint mission to the moon after Apollo 11. Kennedy had proposed a joint mission as the initial plan, which certainly wouldn’t work. Suppose around the time of the historical Apollo-Soyuz, NASA still has a few more moon landings planned, so after Apollo-Soyuz, they invite the Soviets to send along a Cosmonaut as a goodwill gesture?

I have doubts that the invitation would be accepted. Having put the first man into Earth orbit and launched and operated the world's first space station the Soviet's can enter into a joint programme like ASTP as equals, having one of their cosmonauts hitch a ride to the Moon on Apollo hardware highlights a capability which they lack.