Skylab1973 v2.0, and Skylab1980 -- Released at Last!

[Usonian]

Skylab is bigger and better! Version 2 of Skylab1973 includes Saturn V launcher. The Saturn B1 crew launches can be done with either NASSP or Velcro Rockets/Saturns plus AMSO. The Skylab mesh is improved with a smoother appearance, lower polygon and vertex count and some new animations for use with the new Skylab1980 add-on.

The screenshot below shows the launch accident that stripped off Skylab's sun/micrometeroid shields and one of it main solar arrays.

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Skylab1980 brings to life the 1978 Skylab Reuse Study - a serious proposal by NASA and Martin Merietta Corporation to reboost, refurbish and reuse America's first space station. Skylab1980 includes the Teleoperator Retrieval System - the Skylab reboost module, seen below being delivered by the Shuttle.

The add-on also includes airlock, docking module, solar panels and more needed to restore Skylab. Note the old APAS-75 docking apparatus, with outward splayed guide plates.

Three sets of senarios are included, so you can use Orbiter's stock Atlantis, or Space Shuttle Fleet, or Space Shuttle Ultra. The APAS-75 mesh fits over and hides the modern docking unit - no alterations are made to the Shuttle meshes.

The Ops Manuals for both add-ons provides historic background, plus full installation and operating instructions. Skylab1980 requires installation of Skylab1973 v2.0. The Shuttle Fleet and SSU are also separate downloads, of course.

Here is the fully refurbished Skylab for 1980 with Shuttle docked.

Skylab1980 is my entry in the ORBITER ADDON COMPITION.
Vote early and often! But most of all, enjoy the addon.

Click on the icons below for My Addons to open a link to Orbithangar.

 

[TSPenguin]

Very good work!
I especialy like that you made this work out of the box with basicaly all possible addon combinations. Good job!

 

[Tschachim]

Good job, keep Skylab alive, at least in our memories!

Cheers
Tschachim

 

[GregBurch]

Beautiful! Scott, you've become a maestro!

And looking at this makes me realize that I might well have a very different attitude about STS today if the plan to "rescue" and re-use Skylab had worked ...

For me, all your hard work on this lol is worth it just for that realization alone!

 

[Donamy]

Since this is the first, I've seen of the entries, I can't really give it a grade yet. Great work ?

BTW, is it available?

 

[DaveS]

Since this is the first, I've seen of the entries, I can't really give it a grade yet. Great work ?

BTW, is it available?

Skylab1973 v2.0: [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3556"]Skylab1973 v2.1[/ame]
Skylab1980: [ame="http://www.orbithangar.com/searchid.php?ID=3555"]Skylab1980[/ame]

 

[Donamy]

Thanks Dave !!

 

[Graham2001]

Wonderful, simply wonderful.

Nixon's true crime was forbidding NASA to work on the space station that the space shuttle was to serve resulting in what became a sadly futile race to save Skylab.

Now at least we have the chance to see what it would have been like if they had won the race.

A thought just occurred to me, what might make for an interesting follow up for this would be either an ASTP configured Soyuz to dock with the shuttle or a module to allow a standard(or ASTP) Soyuz to dock with Skylab...

 

[sputnik]

Way to go, Scott! Looks great!

 

[Usonian]

Thanks to all!

Donamy - I goofed! I have added a note to my initial post directing folks to my Orbithangar link. (The icons in my signature are a "secret" button.) Thank goodness I have DaveS backing me up.

TSPenguin - Flexible use was a primary goal on this add-on, although I may live to regret it. SSU developments are coming on fast and I may have to do an update when their next version is released.

Tschachim - Continuing the ease-of-use and all-in-one thinking, I decided to work up my own Saturn V launcher for Skylab1973 using NASSP meshes. So Skylab1973 v2.0 is issued under GNU public license. Letting go makes me feel all Buddhist. (However, I will be clinging to Skylab1980 for a while.)

Greg - What are you doing on line? Isn't Houston in Ike's crosshairs? Shouldn't you be running for the hills? On the other hand, if you are hanging back to play with my add-on then you definitely have the right priorities.

As for the Shuttle, if I remember correctly, it took three Shuttle launches, two Russian Proton Ks and a Soyuz U to bring ISS up a mass equivalent to Skylab's. Reusable crew shuttles might make some sense, but I doubt that a reusable cargo ship could ever be competitive with expendable rockets. (No offense to your Big Space Plane!)

Sputnik - I worked out my autopilot problem by simply returning everything to the default setting and then adjusting only one variable. The autopilot works really well, if I resist temptations to over-work it. I am glad to have a means for AMSO fans to fly their favorite CSM to Skylab.

 

[missleman01]

Usonian, excellent addon. Something Ive been interested in for a long time. Your work is superb

I do have a question. I made modified launch scenarios for all the missions that include the STS-payloads virtual cockpit and implements because i wanted them.

I also changed a couple later missions to use Space Shuttle Enterprise (shuttle fleet has it and i never have had a good excuse to use it). I figured a converted Enterprise might replace a new build Endeavour in your early challenger disaster timeline.

Lastly, I copied the logistics module as as second one (called logisticsmodule2), and made a logistics module rotation flight where you pick the existing one up and drop a new on off.

Would you like these scenarios? Would you care if i uploaded them to orbithangar? THeyre limited to installations of STS-payloads and shuttle fleet?

 

[xmariox]

Very nice and interesting thank you Usonian!

 

[Usonian]

Would you like these scenarios? Would you care if i uploaded them to orbithangar? THeyre limited to installations of STS-payloads and shuttle fleet?

Please feel free to put together an extesion pack of scenarios and distribute it under your own name and title - it can only serve to increase my own download count (and make me rich!:lol.

A thought just occurred to me, what might make for an interesting follow up for this would be either an ASTP configured Soyuz to dock with the shuttle or a module to allow a standard(or ASTP) Soyuz to dock with Skylab...

This touches on something that bothers me about my own add-on. The 1978 Reuse Study describes schemes for closing internal hatches and using various sections of the station as emergency shelters - there is no consideration of an escape pod/reentry module. My fantasy timeline includes a 32 month interruption for the Challenger disaster. After that slap in the face, it seems likely NASA would rethink the wisdom of relying on the Shuttle to make quick rescues from a refurbished Skylab. Realistically, the addon should include an escape module added to the station before any operations untended by the Shuttle.

By the time I thought of this I was about burned out on Skylab reuse. My rationalization is that it wasn't part of Martin Marietta's plan, so it isn't part of my addon. But it's another opportunity for someone to create a Skylab1980 extension pack (hint, hint).

 

[Sockeye]

Sierra Hotel, Usonian!

Projects X-15 and Skylab are a couple of my favourites, and it's great to see that work has continued.


http://orbiter-forum.com/member.php?u=346

 

[movieman]

Very nice!

 

[dougkeenan]

Needs more "very." Very very very nice! Fantastic job.

 

[Belisarius]

An instant classic, beautiful work.

 

[Usonian]

Sierra Hotel, Usonian!

Projects X-15 and Skylab are a couple of my favourites, and it's great to see that work has continued.

Thanks! First credits for ProjectX-15 must go to GregBurch. Greg lives in Houston and right about now I expect he is sitting in a house with boarded-up windows and no electricity. But hey, it's bad for me, too... here I sit, expressing sympathy for a lawyer:dry:... Potentially damaging to one's psyche.

Kidding aside, I know what high winds can do to a structure - I hope he's OK.

 

[Yoda]

Fantastic Work ! I took the liberty of using some of your Skylab 1980's parts to expand my space station and i'm simply loving it !

One question though; is it possible to use more than one "power" unit (solar panel) in the same scenerio and how would I have to re-name it to allow this. I'm trying to use these instead of the P3/P4 trust whhich I've been waiting for.

Otherwise, fantastic work !

:speakcool:

 

[Andy44]

Will this work with Velcro Saturns?