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Skylab: The History and Legacy of America’s First Space Station
In 1869, the Atlantic Monthly magazine published a new novella in serial form. This bizarre tale, The Brick Moon, was written by a historian (and Unitarian minister) named Edward Everett Hale, who had already written several well-received novels and articles. However, this was something completely different today, as it was in the genre of what is today considered science fiction. Many people compared the new work to the previous novels of French writer Jules Verne, including From the Earth to the Moon, but Hale’s work was presented as a genuine account of a previous experiment. The Brick Moon concerned the launch of an artificial satellite, a sphere made of brick, into Earth’s orbit. In the story, it is launched as an aid to navigation, one of four such satellites planned to be launched. In many ways, this is a remarkably prescient story covering many attributes of today’s world-spanning GPS system.
In the story, the satellite is accidentally launched with passengers aboard, and most of the tale is an account of their struggles to survive in space. The story proved so popular that, in 1870, Hale wrote a more detailed account of life in space as Life on the Brick Moon. This work is now generally accepted as being the very first attempt to describe what would be called a space station today.
The Brick Moon was, of course, a work of fiction, but like many such early novels, it raised interesting questions about whether it would be possible for humans to live in space for extended periods in a man-made satellite. During the Space Race, many people envisioned a future in which space travel would be a common undertaking for ordinary citizens. Just as riding in an airplane was once a daring endeavor, travel by rocket could be refined and made safer over time. That collective aspiration to someday take part in dreams NASA brought to life was integral to inspiring public interest in the space program. However, in the years following Apollo 11 in 1969, popular enthusiasm for space travel waned, and dreams of vacationing like the Jetsons gave way to more grounded goals. The level of interest NASA enjoyed would never again be comparable to the culturally defining moments of the agency’s most celebrated missions during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Programs.
Nonetheless, in 1972 and 1973, NASA sent nine astronauts to spend extended periods of time living in a craft named Skylab, the very first experimental American space station. Though Skylab would not last long, and the International Space Station remains far more famous, Skylab’s history is one of ingenuity and challenge, as well as how NASA found itself without a mission after the triumph of the Apollo Program.
In the story, the satellite is accidentally launched with passengers aboard, and most of the tale is an account of their struggles to survive in space. The story proved so popular that, in 1870, Hale wrote a more detailed account of life in space as Life on the Brick Moon. This work is now generally accepted as being the very first attempt to describe what would be called a space station today.
The Brick Moon was, of course, a work of fiction, but like many such early novels, it raised interesting questions about whether it would be possible for humans to live in space for extended periods in a man-made satellite. During the Space Race, many people envisioned a future in which space travel would be a common undertaking for ordinary citizens. Just as riding in an airplane was once a daring endeavor, travel by rocket could be refined and made safer over time. That collective aspiration to someday take part in dreams NASA brought to life was integral to inspiring public interest in the space program. However, in the years following Apollo 11 in 1969, popular enthusiasm for space travel waned, and dreams of vacationing like the Jetsons gave way to more grounded goals. The level of interest NASA enjoyed would never again be comparable to the culturally defining moments of the agency’s most celebrated missions during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Programs.
Nonetheless, in 1972 and 1973, NASA sent nine astronauts to spend extended periods of time living in a craft named Skylab, the very first experimental American space station. Though Skylab would not last long, and the International Space Station remains far more famous, Skylab’s history is one of ingenuity and challenge, as well as how NASA found itself without a mission after the triumph of the Apollo Program.
60 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 22, 2025
This awesome kindle unlimited book taught me what I was yearning to know about Skylab history. Some things I found most interesting were the following:
-The Apollo program spent up to 5% of the national budget during its peak
-The projects suggested after Apollo (denied because of funding) included Project Olympus (a 5 year space station to hold up to 20 astronauts), manned landing on Mars by 1980s, a moon base to spend up to 200 days on the lunar surface, manned orbit of Venus, and a space station to orbit the moon!
-Skylab was approved basically because it was cheap because it used old Apollo parts!
-Wet vs dry lab ideas
-The first Russian space station succeeded for 23 days until problems including an electrical fire forced the crew to abandon ship. Tragically, all three cosmonauts died when a relief valve malfunctioned during reentry.
-When Skylab was launched, the micrometeoroid shield deployed prematurely. As a result, the temperature inside the station was dangerously high.
-The first mission to Skylab was predominantly a repair mission.
-The spacewalks to repair Skylab were groundbreaking. They deployed the parasol and helped manage the temperatures inside the station.
-171.5 total days in Skylab between 3 three-person crews
-While many people understand the moon’s landings as the epitome of space exploration to date other sea Skylab missions as being more important and relevant to the further of space exploration.
-The Apollo program spent up to 5% of the national budget during its peak
-The projects suggested after Apollo (denied because of funding) included Project Olympus (a 5 year space station to hold up to 20 astronauts), manned landing on Mars by 1980s, a moon base to spend up to 200 days on the lunar surface, manned orbit of Venus, and a space station to orbit the moon!
-Skylab was approved basically because it was cheap because it used old Apollo parts!
-Wet vs dry lab ideas
-The first Russian space station succeeded for 23 days until problems including an electrical fire forced the crew to abandon ship. Tragically, all three cosmonauts died when a relief valve malfunctioned during reentry.
-When Skylab was launched, the micrometeoroid shield deployed prematurely. As a result, the temperature inside the station was dangerously high.
-The first mission to Skylab was predominantly a repair mission.
-The spacewalks to repair Skylab were groundbreaking. They deployed the parasol and helped manage the temperatures inside the station.
-171.5 total days in Skylab between 3 three-person crews
-While many people understand the moon’s landings as the epitome of space exploration to date other sea Skylab missions as being more important and relevant to the further of space exploration.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2025
great book
A nice summary of the first real space station & the exploration of low earth orbit space. It tells of the unknown pioneers who took the risks to spend extended time in zero gravity
A nice summary of the first real space station & the exploration of low earth orbit space. It tells of the unknown pioneers who took the risks to spend extended time in zero gravity
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews