May 14: America's first space station is launched into space

Skylab is the first US space station, developed by NASA aviation agency.

Skylab is the first US space station, developed by NASA aviation agency . On May 14, 1973, NASA successfully launched Skylab on Earth's orbit and opened a turning point in the field of exploring the universe and bringing people into space.

Two IBM computers in Skylab control the direction of the space station during the mission. Space station computers are IBM System / 4Pi models, designed specifically for weight and according to the requirements of the cosmic environment. Each IBM machine on Skylab weighs 100 pounds and measures 19 x 7.3 x 31.8 inches (48 x 18.5 x 80.8 cm). They can handle more than 100 signals to Skylab.

The Skylab space station was launched into orbit on Earth with the Saturn V missile , which was used in the development of the Apollo spacecraft . Although the launch of the universe was successful, Skylab then almost had technical problems because a meteor shower occurred just in time for it to enter orbit, damaging one of the two main solar panels. of the space station.

On May 25, 1973, the first manned mission, with astronauts Charles Conrad Junior, Paul J. Weitz and Joseph P. Kerwin, was launched into orbit after the experience of the previous launch. , including installing a shield to reduce the temperature inside the cockpit to 23.9 degrees Celsius. The space station is fully operational from June 4.

Skylab space station is designed to maximize solar panels toward the Sun to provide as much energy as possible. But due to the lack of a shield, the chamber temperature increased to 52 degrees Celsius. The Skylab 2 launch was therefore postponed so that NASA engineers conducted 10 days of hard work to develop a shield to reduce energy. in the cabin, creating a more suitable working environment for astronauts.