Posts: 180
From: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Registered: Apr 2019

posted 06-18-2019 03:46 AM            

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After the last manned Skylab mission, there were some tentative plans to fly a fourth mission to the station "Skylab 5" and the mission was suppose to be just 20 days long. Does anyone know why the mission duration was so short?

There was also a Skylab reboost mission planned for one of the early shuttle missions, which was cancelled when it was determined that the shuttle would not be flight ready in time before Skylab's fall from orbit. Does anyone know the date that the shuttle Skylab reboost mission was cancelled?

Posts: 942
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 06-18-2019 05:24 AM               

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Although I do not know the proposed date of the Skylab re-boost mission, I do know that it was scheduled to be the STS-3 mission with Fred Haise sitting in the left seat of Columbia.

I once asked Fred why he would give up a guaranteed flight on the shuttle as commander and he told me that he did not want another ride into space but wanted a mission with a purpose. After the re-entry of Skylab he felt there was no purpose to his mission so he stepped down from NASA to take a position in private business.

After Fred left NASA, Jack Lousma moved from the right seat to the left seat of Columbia, Gordon Fullerton moved from the STS-4 pilot's position to fill the STS-3 pilot's seat and Hank Heartsfield moved from back-up status into the pilot's seat with Ken Mattingly on STS-4.

So Fred Haise left NASA in June of 1979 about a month before Skylab's return to earth. It is safe to say NASA knew what was coming and Fred had time to make his decision so the mission had to be cancelled around this point in history.

Posts: 1624
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 06-18-2019 06:15 AM               

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From what I have read, Skylab 5 was planned for April 1974. Its primary mission was to boost Skylab's orbit, thus the shorter mission duration.

I don't think the crew ever got into serious training. It seems that it was on the "board" but NASA cancelled it because in the era of tighter and tighter budgets, all available resources were redirected to the shuttle program.