No Shortage of Dreams | A KSP Skylab Alternative History

[Rutabaga22]

Heck yeah! skylab 4! This is series is going tto be awesome!

 

[TruthfulGnome]

Didnt mean to post that whoops

Edited July 17, 2022 by TruthfulGnome

[TruthfulGnome]

Skylab 4 / SLM-3 - November 16, 1973 - February 8 ,1974
End of a Dream



Skylab 4 being the third manned mission to Skylab and possibly final with the cancellation of SLM-4, has the public worried about the future of the space program. Skylab 4 will conduct many experiments mainly being medical and earth observations, it will be the longest manned mission in history with the goal of 84 days. With the backup astronauts (Vance Brand, William Lenoir, Don Lind.) being disappointed in not being able to see Skylab from the CSM, they're hopeful in the success in the longer duration mission.


Using the same booster from Skylab Rescue, Skylab 4 is rolled out from the VAB.








Aerial view of the 39 pads.


T-28 seconds and continuing to count.


Ignition!





"30 Seconds. Pitch and roll program started, Skylab now maneuvering to it's proper flight path."


Inboards cutout


"Staging! S-IVB has ignited!"





Tower jettison.





Sep from the S-IVB








Rendezvous burn











Docking





Ed Gibson and William Pogue conduct the first EVA of Skylab 4














Crew returns





Gerald Carr and Ed Gibson conduct the 4th EVA











Undocking





Last view of Skylab


Deorbit





SM sep





Drogue deployment





Splashdown!


What will the future of Skylab be?

Edited July 18, 2022 by TruthfulGnome

[Rutabaga22]

Love it! Can't wait to see skylab V! This series can only go up from here!

[TruthfulGnome]

12 hours ago, Rutabaga22 said:

Love it! Can't wait to see skylab V! This series can only go up from here!

Yes! Now I have creative freedom and no longer locked behind accurate realism!

[Rutabaga22]

15 minutes ago, TruthfulGnome said:

Yes! Now I have creative freedom and no longer locked behind accurate realism!

HECK YEA! LETS GOOOOOOO!

[TruthfulGnome]

1978

[Rutabaga22]

[TruthfulGnome]

Little name change.. stopped liking it sorry

[Rutabaga22]

35 minutes ago, TruthfulGnome said:

Little name change.. stopped liking it sorry

I like the new name! It shows the expanse of ideas you must have about how this will continue!

[TruthfulGnome]

The upcoming Reboost of Skylab mission "Skylab 5" which was originally planned to launch on the Shuttle but due to the Shuttle not being ready until 1980 and the expected deorbit of Skylab in 1979 the TRS will have to launch on a modified Titan III-D (Titan III-C-D for Cape use) in an extremely tight launch window of just 3 months.
After this mission is complete NASA recommends that the TACS nitrogen on Skylab to be at least partially refilled during the first or second refurbishment mission, so Skylab can be stabilized without TRS for later dockings.

In other news, LC-39A is nearing completion of conversion for Shuttle use.

[Rutabaga22]

Could skylab be folded up to fit in the space shuttle cargo bay for refurbishment, or being brought back to earth?  I feel like if you could bring it down and refurbish it on the ground you could do a lot more than orbital repairs.

[Adam-Kerman]

21 minutes ago, Rutabaga22 said:

Could skylab be folded up to fit in the space shuttle cargo bay for refurbishment, or being brought back to earth?  I feel like if you could bring it down and refurbish it on the ground you could do a lot more than orbital repairs.

Think it’s too big?

[Rutabaga22]

25 minutes ago, Adam-Kerman said:

Think it’s too big?

It is, I looked it up and skylab was 22ft compared to 15ft of the space shuttle cargo bay

[TruthfulGnome]

9 hours ago, Rutabaga22 said:

Could skylab be folded up to fit in the space shuttle cargo bay for refurbishment, or being brought back to earth?  I feel like if you could bring it down and refurbish it on the ground you could do a lot more than orbital repairs.

Way too big for that and would be risky to land with and launch if it could fit 

[TruthfulGnome]

Skylab 5 | SLM-4 | TRS-1 - April 6, 1979
Resurrection



After NASA scientists and engineers scrambled for the past four years on ways to conduct a reboost mission to Skylab, they finalized their ideas on using the spacecraft named TRS  "Teleoperator Retrieval System” however, after multiple delays of the Space Shuttle, TRS could not be launched on the Orbiter for a mission to Skylab forcing NASA  to speed up development of TRS while leaving a very small launch window  with a launch on the  modified Titan IIIC-D.

This has left us today with the launch of Skylab 5, a scary launch as if not successful Skylab will have no way of being saved however, if successful the TRS will remain in Skylab orbit while NASA tests the RCS systems before the rendezvous burn, after systems are clear TRS will rendezvous with Skylab for docking and boost it afterwards.


After Skylab completed its on orbit reactivation and reorientation, Titan III C-D is clear for launch tomorrow.


T- 10.. 9.. 8.. 7.. 6..


Liftoff!


Reports coming back that the twin solid motors are functioning perfectly








We have jettisoned the boosters from Titan and have ignition!





Titan still on its trajectory to Skylab


Fairing jettison








Hotstage sep








Circularization


Engine cutoff











All systems looking good on TRS!





RCS Testing going as planned


Rendezvous burn


We can see her on the cameras!





TRS is all green for docking

















TRS has docked to Skylab!


TRS moving Skylab into a position for first boost burn.


Boosting into the targeted 440k Perigee





First boost is complete


Second boost





Second boost is complete! Skylab has been saved and is now in a safe orbit!








Moving TRS into Docking Node 2 for clearance











And with that Skylab has been saved and will be visited in the coming years.

Edited July 29, 2022 by TruthfulGnome

[Rutabaga22]

Wooo! Skylab is back in business! Can't wait to see the future of this series! 

[AlmondTheAstronaut]

This is lookin pretty cool ngl. Can't wait for what comes next!

[LucalisIndustries]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSS YEEEES YEEEEEEEESS LETSGOOOOOOOOOO

I need more, this is incredible

[TruthfulGnome]

Skylab 6 | SLM-5 | STS-2 - January 6 - 12

P: Richard Harrison Truly | C: Joe Henry Engle

              

After the successful Reboost of Skylab and successful flight of STS-1, Columbia is ready to fly again and start Phase 2 of the Skylab Reuse Program operations. Phase 2 will consist of exterior inspections, interior inspections, attachment of Multiple Docking Interface Module (MDIM), installation of kits, removal of kits, refueling of the TACS System on Skylab, system checkouts, and the stripping of unnecessary hardware. Since the Canadarm from the Canadian Space Agency wont be ready for testing until STS-3 this mission will not fly with it.

After achieving orbit STS-2 will carry out science experiments for 4 days before rendezvousing with Skylab to perform a fly around inspection of Skylab looking for any possible damage, after the inspection is completed the Columbia crew will control the TRS-1 spacecraft and undock it for remote testing then execute a docking procedure with the payload bay for future launch profiles, afterwards Columbia will attempt docking procedures with Skylab in preparation for STS-5.


Rollout








Night before launch








Crew Arm retract 


Beanie cap retract





We are go for launch


T- 10.. 9.. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5..


Ignition! 4.. 3.. 2.. 1!


Liftoff!




Roll Maneuver started


Roll maneuver completed














Clean SRB Sep!

















MECO


ET Sep





Circularization burn





View of payload doors opening from onboard camera





Science Instruments

















Packing up instruments for rendezvous burn





Arrival at Skylab


Skylab and Columbia meet for the first time





















Pictures taken by STS-2 of Skylab exterior looking undamaged 


Columbia sitting in parking orbit around Skylab


Remote undocking of TRS-1








Docking test





TRS-1 returning to Skylab





TRS redocking over the Great Lakes


Shuttle - Skylab docking test








Last view of Skylab from Columbia





Columbia Preparing for deorbit


Deorbit burn


Columbia in reentry angle











Runway 24


Touchdown of the worlds first reusable spacecraft!








Goodnight Columbia.

[Rutabaga22]

Another great mission! What mod did you use for the space shuttle?

[LucalisIndustries]

soo near and soo far at the same time, im enjoying this a lot, and needing the next episode

[TruthfulGnome]

2 hours ago, Rutabaga22 said:

Another great mission! What mod did you use for the space shuttle?

SOCK and SOCKRepainted.

[AlmondTheAstronaut]

very epic alt history we have here!

[TruthfulGnome]

Been having some issues with my install again, will have to work on fixing it.