Pioneer 11 detected Saturn’s bow shock on Aug. 31, 1979, about 932,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) out from the planet, thus providing the first conclusive evidence of the existence of Saturn’s magnetic field. The post Space Rocket History #436 – Pioneer 11 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

This second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft, the Soyuz 7k-T was flown on Soyuz 12 through Soyuz 40 missions from 1973–1981. The new 7K-T spacecraft was designed to accommodate only two cosmonauts who would wear pressure suits at all times … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #435 – Soyuz 12 & 13 first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

At this point in 1973, the Soviets were attempting to fly 2 types of space station, the long duration orbital station scientific version called DOS.  The other station was a military spy space station equipped with a machine gun, called … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #434 – Salyut 2, Mars 4, 5, 6, 7 & Tang Ceremony first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Despite predictions, events seldom occur precisely as expected. The calculated breakup altitude of Skylab was based on its intended structural strength specifications. However, the actual vehicle was stronger than the specified strength requirements. The post Space Rocket History #433 – Skylab – Crashdown first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The official decision to proceed with the Skylab reboost mission was made on September 1st 1977, initiating a two-year preparation period for the development and production of the required hardware and systems. The post Space Rocket History #432 – Skylab – Reboost first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Early in the planning stages of the Skylab flight, there was a desire to keep it in orbit long enough to use it as the core of a larger station. The post Space Rocket History #431 – Skylab – Skylab 5 & Skylab B first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Activating the station upon arrival was a challenge, but packing up to return home was also a major event that took several days. For Carr and his crew, this was the last planned visit, but they left open the possibility … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #430 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Leaving Skylab first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

The next time an American would venture outside of a spacecraft would be on a Space Shuttle flight and that was nine years later. In less than a decade, from June 1965 to February 1974, American astronauts had learned to … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #429 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Solar Observations and the Last EVA first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

This crew was the first to celebrate a new year in space 17 times as they orbited the earth and moved through the time zones. The post Space Rocket History #428 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Kohoutek in all its Glory first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“We and everybody on the ground thought that it was going to be a beautiful, brilliant comet. It turned out to be beautiful all right, but it was so faint that we really had to work to find it. Once … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #427 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Christmas in Space first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“Nothing was outside, three times I went out that hatch into the ‘truly great outdoors.’ When I was out there, it was a silent world, except for the whispers of my own breath. Sometimes I felt totally alone, like the … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #426 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – The First EVA first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“There was no strike in space by any stretch of the imagination. What could we threaten to do, go live on the moon? If any of these writers had gotten their information from just one of us, the crew or … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #425 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – The Strike (Fake News) first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

One stowaway was on the bicycle ergometer, another was in the LBNP (lower body negative pressure device), and the third was sitting on the toilet in the waste management compartment. The post Space Rocket History #424 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Stowaways & We Lost Gibson first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“As we rode, the big blue eyes of Al Shepard bored into each of us looking for any sign of weakness, any indication that one of these rookies was not ready to go. I looked back with a defiant smile, … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #423 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Launch & The Vomit Bag Scandal first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

In space, on the day the second crew left Skylab, which was September 25, 1973, the orbital workshop began it’s third unmanned period. The post Space Rocket History #422 – Skylab – Skylab 4 – Kohoutek, Experiments, Flight Prep & Training first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“I felt like that mission was from my viewpoint the highlight of my career, as being the best astronaut that I could be. I felt like our crew was the best crew we could be because we had done the … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #421 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – Recovery & Re-acclimation first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“The thing I remember about reentry was not positioning some RCS switches correctly. We got behind and Owen could not read my notes in the checklist because of the limited space (and my ‘unique’ penmanship). I said, ‘Give me the … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #420 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – De-orbit, Re-entry, & Splashdown first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

“Hello Houston. Roger. Well I, haven’t talked with you for a while. Isn’t that you down there. Bob? This is Helen, here in Skylab. The boys hadn’t had a good home cooked meal in so long, I  thought I’d bring … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #419 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – Those Tricky Garriotts first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

On mission day 28, August 24th 1973, it was time to perform the 2nd EVA.  Garriott and Lousma once again stepped outside the orbital workshop for a 4 and ½ hour spacewalk. The post Space Rocket History #418 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – AMU, EVA 2, Space Physics, Solar Physics and Mission Extension first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.

Finally, the crew became efficient enough to get all of the work done that was scheduled for a given day. But, that did not make up for the time lost at the beginning of the mission.  Reaching 100 percent efficiency … Continue reading → The post Space Rocket History #417 – Skylab – Skylab 3 – Maximum Effort, Determination, Efficiency, and Accomplishment first appeared on Space Rocket History Podcast.