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Questions,comments or to volunteer?
Please email us
space@saveskylab.org
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NEW STATUS REPORT
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Skylab Neglect
Feb 15, 2008
It's been a year since the temporary weather cover blew off about 1/3 of the 1st deck.
We have asked the USSRC pull it back in place (it will take one person with a ladder
and about 10 min to accomplish). We had the 1st deck 80% restored. With significant
construction next to this historic artifact and weather all our work to save Skylab is
undone. We hope someday efforts are made to save Skylab while the shell still
remains intact.
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Why Are We Doing This?
In 1968 NASA ordered two identical flight qualified space stations (Skylab) built along with 3 full
scale training mockups. One flight version, the 1st US Space Station was flown in 1973 and
orbited the Earth until 1979; the second flight element is now on display at the National Air and
Space Museum. One full scale mockup, used by astronauts and engineers at MSFC during the
3 crewed Skylab missions (73-74) was on display for many years at the US Space and Rocket
Center (USRC) located in Huntsville Alabama. Several years ago the Skylab exhibit was moved
outside. The original temporary weather coverings have failed and Skylab has suffered the
effects of rain, sun, wind, plants, dust/dirt, mold, animals and vandals. Right now the Skylab
artifact is nearing a point of no return.
To save Skylab the Alabama/Mississippi section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics (AIAA) started the Skylab Restoration Project (SRP) in July 2006.
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All original text and images are Copyright 2006
Skylab Restoration Project
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She's Just Rotting Away
June 27, 2007
The USSRC Skylab Restoration Effort is still on hold. Nothing has been done in 7 months to save her. This bit of US space
history just keeps rotting away. The USSRC wants $2,000,000 dollars for a new building before work to save Skylab can
start again. In not much time little will be worth saving. They need to move Skylab (the space she sits now will be a parking
lot for the new Saturn V Building). The location is TBD. They taped up the MDA today but the weather covering on the 1st
deck has failed again exposing it to rain, dust, etc. The USSRC is looking for $2,000,000 to erect a new Shuttle building
(they have the USAF temp shelter to be used if an Orbiter ever had to land after an emergency in an area without facilities,
like from a TAL) in hopes of getting an orbiter (they have talked about getting for the Enterprise from the National Air and
Space Museum in Dulles VA). With 3 flight Orbiters available in 2.5 years, it's sure one will go to JSC, one will stay at KSC
and one will go to the National Air and Space Museum Annex in Dulles VA. Maybe the chance of an Orbiter is more
important than Skylab, maybe not. We are going to ask the BOD of a major National Technical Society if they will fund the
new building. But no promises.
January 9, 2007
Skylab MDA Used To Support Orion (Crew Exploration Vehicle)
Skylab Restoration
Project
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We received a request for data about the Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA) docking ports from the
Orion project at JSC. The MDA docking port may serve as a guide or model (even a good starting
point) for Orion's passive docking capability. Skylab's grid decking is servicing as a guide for a new
way to mount avionics for Ares 1. It's good to see the constellation program is drawing on Skylab.
Weather Cover In Place
Example of Rain
Collecting on Weather
Cover (from one storm).
Rain like this now flows
into Skylab every time it
rains.
Intervention By the Governor of Alabama
March 30, 2008
Thank you to everyone who wrote or emailed Alabama Governor Riley. On March 17th after intervention by the Governor and a wait of over a year the
USSRC recovered the 1st deck of Skylab. However the cover was not completely secured and once again parts of the deck exposed to weather. That
someone took steps to secure the cover is a victory. According to the USSRC page http://www.spacecamp.com/saturnv/?page=skylab $1,200,000
million dollars is needed to restore Skylab back to the condition it was in prior to being abandoned in a parking lot. It would have cost under $50,000
dollars to store Skylab in a commercial warehouse for the last 8 years. Simple planning that would have kept it in pristine condition. NASA MSFC (a few
miles away) also had facilities able to store Skylab at not cost. The USSRC only had to ask. The key to this point is critical mismanagement by the
USSRC. The curator is responsible for abandoning a historic artifact full of equipment to weather. Better planning would have been to secure storage
space before moving if from the museum building. It's a bit more cost effective. The USSRC needs to better protect, secure and preserve artifacts that
belong to the people of Alabama or entrusted to it by the National Air and Space Museum.
Call the Executive Director of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Foundation 256-430-6702. Let her know you want US space history preserved.
