How did Skylab get it's name?

[Ian]

It just occurred to me that "Skylab" is a pretty out of character name for
the time.

No mythology, no TLAs. nothing inspirationally adjectival, not named after a
ship.

In fact, aeroplanes and pelicans fly through the "sky", while orbiting labs
fly in space. After all, it's not HST - "Hubble Sky Telescope", is it?!

So does anyone know how this program got it's name?

Thanks

-- Ian

[gb]

"Ian" > wrote in message
...
> It just occurred to me that "Skylab" is a pretty out of character name for
> the time.
>
> No mythology, no TLAs. nothing inspirationally adjectival, not named after
> a
> ship.
>
> In fact, aeroplanes and pelicans fly through the "sky", while orbiting
> labs
> fly in space. After all, it's not HST - "Hubble Sky Telescope", is it?!
>
> So does anyone know how this program got it's name?
>
> Thanks
>
> -- Ian
>
Interesting question. A "laboratory in space" was discussed long before
Apollo.
The Apollo Applications Program had several "follow-on" proposals -- the
"laboratory in space" was one of these.

You do have to wonder why "Space Lab" was not the preferred name for the
actual vehicle/system. Of course, had funding not been cut in the late
1960s -- these projects could have been given mythology names related to
Apollo.

gb

[Dave Michelson]

Ian wrote:
> It just occurred to me that "Skylab" is a pretty out of character
> name for the time.
>
> No mythology, no TLAs. nothing inspirationally adjectival, not named
> after a ship.
>
> In fact, aeroplanes and pelicans fly through the "sky", while
> orbiting labs fly in space. After all, it's not HST - "Hubble Sky
> Telescope", is it?!
>
> So does anyone know how this program got it's name?

The Skylab effort was originally part of (later the only part of) the
Apollo Applications Program. NASA Administrator Thomas Paine wanted a
better name so struck a committee that considered nearly 100 alternative
names for the program and recommended eight, four from mythology and
four from American history. (No, I don't know what those names were.)

However, the recommended names were passed over in favour of a name
submitted by Lt. Col. Donald Steelman, an Air Force officer on duty with
NASA in 1968. The name "Skylab" became official in 1970.

--
Dave Michelson

[Dave Michelson]

Dave Michelson wrote:
>
> The Skylab effort was originally part of (later the only part of) the
> Apollo Applications Program. NASA Administrator Thomas Paine wanted a
> better name so struck a committee that considered nearly 100 alternative
> names for the program and recommended eight, four from mythology and
> four from American history. (No, I don't know what those names were.)

Actually, that's not quite right. The NASA Project Designation
Committee already existed.

Ref: Mueller to Julian Scheer, "Request to NASA Project Designation
Committee to Select a New Name for the Apollo Applications Program
(AAP)," 15 Oct. 1969;

So, what were the shortlisted names?

Artemis? Socrates? Olympus?

Conestoga? Constitution? Valley Forge?

--
Dave Michelson

[OM]

On Mon, 18 Jul 2005 06:28:56 GMT, Dave Michelson >
wrote:

>Artemis? Socrates? Olympus?

....Airstream.

OM

--

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his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

[digicross@hotmail.com]

Well... There's also a sea laboratory named "Sealab".

Anyway. Technically, Skylab is still on Earth's atmosphere eventhough
it's orbiting. Of course, if we go by the definition of over 100 km in
height is space, yes, it's a 'Spacelab'.


As for the Hubble Sky Telescope. There's nothing wrong if that name is
used.


Personally, the names chosen of might be so that the public will
recognise it and know what its purpose.

Remember that Skylab was up in the 70's while Hubble was up in the
90's. By the 90's, maybe the public is willing to accept anything
orbiting above 100 km as space vehicle instead of a sky vehicle.

Of course, by the 2000's, the public is willing accept anything that
goes over 100 km as a space vehicle and not a sky vehicle.