posted 10-07-2013 05:50 PM               

Space Cover #234: The Skylab is falling 

At the beginning of the Space Age the United States had trouble orbiting an object the size of a grapefruit. By the time the lunar missions were over America was able to lob an 85 ton space station into orbit with ease. The return of a grapefruit sized satellite poses no risk to people or property as it burns up in the steadily thickening atmosphere. When a 170,000 pound orbiting laboratory comes home, however, it makes quite a splash. Battelle Memorial Institute forecast that up to 25 tons of metal debris could land in 500 pieces over an area 4,000 miles long and 1,000 miles wide. The lead-lined film vault, for example, might land intact at 400 feet per second. The chance of debris hitting a city of more than 100,000 was calculated at 1 in 7.

During the Skylab program the Air Force provided support through the Eastern Test Range headquarters at Patrick AFB. This cover, postmarked on the launch of Skylab III, sports a cachet for the Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft (ARIA). This heavily modified KC-135 with a nose only Jimmy Durante’s mother could love, provided tracking over a 32 year career.

Present for all launches from the Cape the Air Force launched a Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) equipped with pararescuemen in the event of an early abort or accident. Jolly 87 (a heavy duty PAVE LOW helicopter) was on station for the launch of Skylab IV.

posted 10-26-2013 02:05 PM               

The top cover has a Skylab Program emblem cachet, with a pair of Skylab commemorative stamps that are canceled at Cape Canaveral, FL on the Skylab Orbital Workshop's final day in orbit. The bottom cover was located in the Skylab Reentry Data Center inside the NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Space Defense Center during the space station's final day in space.

posted 10-28-2013 04:27 PM               

This map cover is especially interesting because shows Australia.