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Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 13th 09, 02:21 AM posted to sci.space.history
Joseph Nebus
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Posts: 306
Default Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?

In the midst of a discussion over on rec.arts.sf.written I ran
across a point about Skylab that I hadn't noticed before. Following
the end of the third and most confusingly numbered astronaut mission:

After the crew had returned to earth and the
end-of-mission engineering tests were finished, flight
controllers vented the atmosphere from the workshop, oriented
the cluster in a gravity-gradient-stabilized attitude with the
docking adapter pointed away from the earth, and shut down most
of its systems.

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/ch19.htm

OK, but why vent the atmosphere?

--
Joseph Nebus
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  #2  
Old July 13th 09, 03:31 AM posted to sci.space.history
Steve Dallas
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Posts: 25
Default Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?

Joseph Nebus wrote:
In the midst of a discussion over on rec.arts.sf.written I ran
across a point about Skylab that I hadn't noticed before. Following
the end of the third and most confusingly numbered astronaut mission:

After the crew had returned to earth and the
end-of-mission engineering tests were finished, flight
controllers vented the atmosphere from the workshop, oriented
the cluster in a gravity-gradient-stabilized attitude with the
docking adapter pointed away from the earth, and shut down most
of its systems.

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/ch19.htm

OK, but why vent the atmosphere?


I suppose they might have been concerned with moisture condensation
(especially on the electronics) and pressure excursions caused by the
fact that they were no longer actively maintaining the internal
temperature. Those are just guesses though.
  #3  
Old July 13th 09, 03:59 AM posted to sci.space.history
Pat Flannery
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Posts: 18,465
Default Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?



Joseph Nebus wrote:
In the midst of a discussion over on rec.arts.sf.written I ran
across a point about Skylab that I hadn't noticed before. Following
the end of the third and most confusingly numbered astronaut mission:

After the crew had returned to earth and the
end-of-mission engineering tests were finished, flight
controllers vented the atmosphere from the workshop, oriented
the cluster in a gravity-gradient-stabilized attitude with the
docking adapter pointed away from the earth, and shut down most
of its systems.

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/ch19.htm

OK, but why vent the atmosphere?


So that a meteor hit wouldn't cause it to start venting air and make it
start spinning?

Pat
  #4  
Old July 13th 09, 05:03 AM posted to sci.space.history
[email protected]
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Posts: 34
Default Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?

On Jul 12, 10:59 pm, Pat Flannery wrote:
Joseph Nebus wrote:
In the midst of a discussion over on rec.arts.sf.written I ran
across a point about Skylab that I hadn't noticed before. Following
the end of the third and most confusingly numbered astronaut mission:


After the crew had returned to earth and the
end-of-mission engineering tests were finished, flight
controllers vented the atmosphere from the workshop, oriented
the cluster in a gravity-gradient-stabilized attitude with the
docking adapter pointed away from the earth, and shut down most
of its systems.


http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4208/ch19.htm


OK, but why vent the atmosphere?


So that a meteor hit wouldn't cause it to start venting air and make it
start spinning?


So it wouldn't smell like a locker room if they came back?
  #6  
Old July 13th 09, 10:35 AM posted to sci.space.history
Derek Lyons
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Posts: 2,999
Default Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?

Pat Flannery wrote:

That does raise the question of how it was supposed to be repressurized
if the Shuttle had been ready to go up to it and re-crew it.


Possibly the decision to vent it was made before the decision to visit
it with the Shuttle.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL
  #7  
Old August 14th 09, 01:20 AM posted to sci.space.history
Dr.Smith
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Posts: 42
Default Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?

I always had this image in my head that the first astronauts to visit Skylab
after several years of abandonment, would look like the scene were the
astronauts board Discovery in 2010. The would enter a station dark and cold
with no light .


  #8  
Old August 14th 09, 04:43 AM posted to sci.space.history
Bob Haller
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Posts: 3,197
Default Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?

On Jul 13, 5:35�am, (Derek Lyons) wrote:
Pat Flannery wrote:
That does raise the question of how it was supposed to be repressurized
if the Shuttle had been ready to go up to it and re-crew it.


Possibly the decision to vent it was made before the decision to visit
it with the Shuttle.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL


they shut down everything but a solar powered receiver, and were able
to wake skylab up after a long slumber.

they controlled its attitude and recharged it batteries to have
limited control of where it deorbited
  #9  
Old August 14th 09, 08:44 AM posted to sci.space.history
Pat Flannery
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Posts: 18,465
Default Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?

Dr.Smith wrote:
I always had this image in my head that the first astronauts to visit Skylab
after several years of abandonment, would look like the scene were the
astronauts board Discovery in 2010. The would enter a station dark and cold
with no light .



Read up on the rescue repair mission to Salyut 7, because that's a lot
like what it was like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salyut_7

Pat



  #10  
Old August 15th 09, 08:47 PM posted to sci.space.history
Bob Haller
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Posts: 3,197
Default Why dump Skylab's atmosphere?

On Aug 14, 3:44�am, Pat Flannery wrote:
Dr.Smith wrote:
I always had this image in my head that the first astronauts to visit Skylab
after several years of abandonment, would look like the scene were the
astronauts board Discovery in 2010. �The would enter a station dark and cold
with no light .


Read up on the rescue repair mission to Salyut 7, because that's a lot
like what it was like:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salyut_7

Pat


Last crew made prep for future visitors left a christmas tree of stuff
on display

junking the saturn family of launchers was a major blunder
 




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