Page 35 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

ArrAy A regular group or arrangement. cApsule A small pressurized space vehicle.
deorbit To move out of an orbital position and begin a reentry path toward the Earth.
meteoroid A small body moving in the solar system that becomes a meteor if it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.
solAr pAnels Large flat surfaces covered with thousands of small photoelectric devices that convert solar radiation into electricity.
 Skylab in deployment.
Skylab
Refrigeration panel Waste tank
Water tanks
Crews returned to the Earth in the reentry cApsule (part of the Apollo command module)
used for all Apollo missions.
Skylab was damaged during its initial
deployment into orbit. It lost one of its two solAr pAnels and its shield that was
designed to ward off meteoroids. So
the first crews had to make repairs. They took 28 days. The next mission lasted
59 days, and the fourth mission 84 days. Skylab supported three astronauts at a
time. It was large enough to allow some home comforts, including a
vacuum shower using water. Between 1973 and 1974
a total of 171 days were spent in the space station. Skylab began to move
from its designated orbit in 1978 and could not be readjusted, so it deorbited and burned up in 1979.
Shower, kitchen, toilet, and exercise area
Solar array (as originally planned)
35