Skylab

Skylab was America's first experimental space station. Some of Skylab's program objectives were: To prove that humans could live and work in space for extended periods, and to expand our knowledge of solar astronomy well beyond Earth-based observations. Skylab made much use of Saturn and Apollo equipment. Through the use of a 'dry' third stage of the Saturn V rocket, the station was completely made as a workshop area before launch. Crews visited Skylab and …

…included observation of the Comet Kohoutek among numerous experiments. Competed 1,214 Earth orbits and four EVAs totaling 22 hours, 13 minuets. Three -man crews occupied the Skylab workshop for a total of 171 days, 13 hours. It was the site of nearly 300 scientific and technical experiments. The empty Skylab spacecraft returned to Earth on July 11, 1979 scattering debris over the Indian Ocean and the sparsely settled region of Western Australia. The chances of being hit by Skylab's debris were 1 in 600 billion.