On This Day

By Princessa

The first U.S. space station, Skylab, was launched into orbit by a Saturn V rocket. There were immediate problems. The space station was powered by two solar cell panels that turned the sunlight into electric power. However, one was ripped off during the launch along with a meteoroid shield and the other solar panel did not deploy. The first of the crews of astronauts to man the orbiting laboratory had to repair it, which required a spacewalk. Once repairs were complete, the astronauts could begin their experiments. In July, 1979, the space station returned to the Earth's atmosphere and burned.