MOC - Skylab

[greg3]

While waiting for my Ideas Saturn V to arrive, I've been getting into the mood by looking for other 60s/70s space vehicles to make - the result is this microscale version of America's first space station - Skylab!!

Skylab was launched unmanned in 1973 on a modified Saturn V rocket (it was the last use of the Saturn V launch vehicle) Unfortunately, the mission got off to a bad start as, during lift off, a section of the shielding broke away taking one of the station's 2 solar panel arrays with it and damaging the other one; preventing it from deploying once the station reached orbit. As well as having no power, the lost shielding also led to the station rapidly overheating. A repair mission was hastily planned and astronauts were able to deploy the remaining solar panels and install a replacement heat shield. 

In all there were 3 manned missions to the station and it was occupied for 171 days during its lifetime. As well as it carrying a space telescope, the crews carried out a number of experiments and gained valuable experience in living in space. 

The station remained in orbit until 1979 by which time its orbit was beginning to decay. NASA had intended to use the first Space Shuttle missions to reactivate and reposition the station but when the Shuttle project was delayed, it was decided to let the station re-enter the atmosphere where it was assumed it would burn up. Despite trying to redirect the station to re-enter over open water, some parts of the station survived re-entry and landed in Australia!! (I remember as a kid seeing all the news reports about it at the time!!)

My version... originally I was going to make it in scale with the Ideas Saturn V but a lack of suitable parts led to it getting smaller!! 

Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr

Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr

A close up of the docked Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) that was used to ferry crews and supplies to the station. Launched using the smaller Saturn 1B rocket, the CSMs used for the Skylab missions had white painted Command modules but otherwise looked the same as those used for the moon missions. During the manned Skylab missions, a rescue craft was kept on standby back on Earth. This was a CSM modified with 2 extra seats - in the event of an emergency requiring evacuation, this craft would launch with a 2 man crew to bring back the 3 men from Skylab. 

Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr

A quick guide to the station. From Left to Right...

Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr

CSM spacecraft

Docking module (2 docking points)

Apollo Telescope Mount (above the docking module) This was a solar observatory consisting of 8 instruments gathering images and other information on the sun. It had its own solar panels which would prove vital as NASA engineers were able to use them to keep the station running long enough to repair the damage to the main solar arrays.

Airlock module - airlocks for EVA missions (the least accurate part of my model (the dark grey cone) - still looking at improving it!!)

Orbital Workshop - the main living/working area. At the far end were waste tanks, fuel stores and a radiator. You can clearly see the replacement parasol sun shield which had been designed, made (literally sewn together by 2 women with sewing machines!!) launched and fitted to the station 11 days after the incident during launch!!

I think the station came out looking pretty good... there's still a few areas for improvement (mainly the Solar Observatory and airlock module!) but I'm pretty pleased with it!! 

Comments are always welcome!!

Edited June 8, 2017 by greg3

[Immo]

Oh, how this would benefit from a sticker or two (just as the Saturn V benefits from the printed parts)... Nicely done, it's well done for this scale and how you handled the sun shield is great

[icm]

The Apollo CSM is very small but easily recognizable, and I really like the way you did the Apollo Telescope Mount trusses and the sun shades.