July 1969 was the watershed for Skylab, dividing four years of program definition from a like period of hardware design, fabrication, and testing. The latter period began with a year of changes, including the addition of another substantial scientific program (the earth-resource experiments) and major improvements in the workshop’s living accommodations. These changes were not made without difficulty, for they required time and money that were not readily available. A program review in July 1970 established Skylab’s final form and content; designs were then stabilized and development began in earnest. Periodic testing and reviews during the next two years assured that all systems functioned together and that the crews could operate them with maximum effectiveness.
Following the first lunar landing, and especially after Apollo 13 in April 1970, the Manned Spacecraft Center and Kennedy Space Center could devote more attention to their Skylab responsibilities. At Houston, mission planners and training officials devised means to manage the longest manned missions ever flown, while adjusting to the strong scientific orientation of Skylab. Managers and technicians at the Cape prepared for final checkout and launch of the most complex system they had ever handled.
Development of the spacecraft modules, the experiments they carried, and the preparations to launch and operate them are the subjects of part II of this history. Chapter 6 focuses on the program leaders, the problems they faced, and the tools they used to manage Skylab. Chapters 7 through 11 deal with the major experiment programs and the spacecraft components, work managed largely from Huntsville. Houston’s preparations for directing the missions are treated in chapter 12, the launch operations at Kennedy Space Center in chapter 13, bringing the story down to 14 May 1973 and the launch of Skylab.