Word: launching
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Conrad's optimistic appraisal, following the flawless launch of the Skylab astronauts and their successful rendezvous with the space lab, had raised high hopes that the trouble-plagued ship could be put back in order. Thus, after Apollo docked with the orbiting laboratory and the astronauts had dinner, word was flashed to Conrad to begin the first phase of the repair operation...
...manned space flight. TIME Correspondent John Wilhelm subsequently learned that the troublesome shield was new and untried, and had repeatedly caused problems during its development. Parts had failed at least four different tests. The shield was apparently plagued by an extreme flutter when subjected to the stresses of launch. Though aware of the shield's shortcomings, NASA decided to use it anyway, mainly to save a few million dollars in additional development costs. Admits Christopher Kraft Jr., director of Houston's Johnson Space Center: "We had a great battle whether we should put that thing on there...
While NASA engineers and flight controllers struggled desperately to save the mission, conditions aboard Skylab deteriorated and the launch of the three astronauts was delayed. First priority was given to finding a way to cool off the Orbital Workshop (other sections of the spacecraft remained at a normal 65° or 70°). Maneuvering the spacecraft with its thrusters, flight controllers in Houston turned the exposed area away from the sun. But by doing that they also changed the angle of the four working solar wings, which reduced their exposure to sunlight and dangerously lowered the production of electrical power...
...alone in its space troubles. Two weeks ago, the Russians orbited an unmanned spacecraft that they identified only as Cosmos 557. Last week U.S. intelligence sources reported that the mysterious Cosmos was in fact an unmanned Soyuz spacecraft that appears to have been launched as the intended docking target for a second manned Soyuz. The two ships, in effect, would have formed a mini-space station in earth orbit. But a failure apparently occurred aboard Cosmos, and the scheduled manned launch had to be scrubbed. Thus the Russians appear to have suffered a second major setback in space only weeks...
...after last month's launch of Salyut 2 into orbit, days and eventually weeks slipped by without a manned launch...