OHM Skylab B

[OrbitHangar]

Author: 4th rock

This add-on depicts the planed Skylab B international space station, a follow up to the historical US Skylab program.


In reality the Skylab B hardware exists and is on museum display. It was identical to the flown Skylab, since it was its flight spare.
 
For this add-on, an alternate reality is considered, based in several proposals by NASA made in the 1970's.
 
The main changes are the lack of the Solar Observatory, the additional docking ports for Soviet spacecraft, and the alternate solar panel positions. This configuration would allow the station to accommodate extended docking or servicing by Apollo, Soyuz, Progress, Salyut and eventually the Space Shuttle.
 
The 3d mesh textures are enhanced with normalmaps to give extra detail.
There's a basic “virtual cockpit” with the "Wardroom Window", that faces sideways from the station, so you will have to turn the viewing direction to look outside. The default orientation is “forward”, that on this case will make you face the ceiling. It is a nice way to view the launch!
 

 

Credits:

• 3D model and setup by Ricardo Nunes ([email protected])
• Reference images and diagrams: Wikimedia Commons and NASA
• Original idea: Barry Golden

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[IronRain]

Great work! I was looking for a replacement for my Skylab-II station (because it re-entered last Sunday) and I might have found it

 

[vsfx]

Very nice work. I will have to fly a Soyuz-Skylab mission now.

Is there a way to control the launch tower swing arms of AMSO? Using J and K as in the AMSO instructions doesn't seem to work.

 

[4throck]

I think I didn't change anything from the AMSO scenarios (copy paste), but will look into that. It might have to do with the animation start positions. Those are defined by scenario.

Of course, did you had the tower "vessel" selected :lol: when you tried?

 

[vsfx]

Yes I had the launch tower selected. Seems that the tower animations work only with an actual AMSO ship in the scn. It does not animate on it's own as far I can tell.

 

[Graham2001]

Looks interesting. Did you base it on this design by any chance?

If I can find it I may still have the report it came from, there was an interesting alternate history attached to it.

The plan was that Apollo 15 would be the last lunar flight and the remaining Saturn V's would be used to launch Skylabs, the last of which would host the first shuttle flight.

Edit: Found the report on the NTRS.

Study of an Interim Earth Orbit Program (1971)

 

[4throck]

Yes for the solar panel arrangement, but also on the "international Skylab" proposal for the MDA docking port configuration.

 

[MessiGamer]

testing