[Skylab]

NBC Television News, 1970s, deaccessioned by head prop master.

GIANT MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER MODEL SHOP MODEL USED ON NBC NEWS BROADCASTS.

Skylab was the United States’ first (and only exclusively operated) space station. It was constructed from a repurposed Saturn V third stage (the S-IVB), and took the place of that stage during launch. Fitted with an orbital workshop, a solar observatory, and several hundred life science and physical science experiments, it was incredibly productive over its brief life – and that’s despite the damage sustained during its launch where the micrometeoroid shield was torn off and the debris jammed one of the large solar array panels and tore another one off completely. The first crew, Commander Pete Conrad, Pilot Paul Weitz and Science Pilot Joe Kerwin as part of Skylab 2 were tasked with repairing the space station, which they did on the first-ever repair spacewalk. The crew were still able, during their month-long stay, to complete much of the planned scientific research, their primary goal. 

Two further missions followed, Skylab 3 which lasted 59 days and Skylab 4, which lasted 84 days. The three missions logged about 2,000 hours of scientific and medical experiments, 127,000 frames of film of the Sun and 46,000 of Earth. They also learned important lessons about long-duration spaceflight’s effects on the body and measures that can be taken to lessen the worst of these. NASA shifted focused to the Space Shuttle program by this point and plans were made to use the new vehicle to access Skylab. Unfortunately, there were delays in the shuttle completion and increased atmospheric drag due to greater than expected solar activity led to Skylab reentry on July 11, 1979. NASA ground controllers were able to adjust Skylab’s orientation to minimize the chance of it falling in a highly populated area. The space station didn’t burn up as quickly as expected and debris landed in Western Australia, fortunately causing no human injuries. 

The present 3-foot tall model was built by Marshall Space Flight Center’s Graphic Engineering and Models Division. It features the Apollo Command and Service Module docked just as it would have been during one of the missions. It also features a clear plastic cut away that reveals the living and working quarters, all of it clearly labeled as the rest of the model and includes a crew of three astronauts in their in-flight suits. This model was deaccessioned from NBC where it had been used for NBC Television News broadcasts in 1973 and 1974 to demonstrate aspects of the missions. The lot includes a Gulf Oil sponsor badge that was affixed to the broadcast desk during Apollo segments.