strike in space
Strike in Space Case Study
Executive Summary
This case centers on the original 3 Skylab missions that began in 1973 following a successful series of Apollo missions starting in the 1960’s. NASA viewed the Skylab missions as logical successors of the Apollo missions and each of the Skylab missions picked up where the prior one left off. The primary focus of the missions was to determine if humans could in fact live comfortably for extended periods of time in weightless conditions and prior to Skylab, there was very little solid research done.
Each of the Skylab missions would be longer in length with Skylab 1 starting with 4 weeks followed by Skylab 2 at 8 weeks and finally Skylab 3 at 12 weeks. Every detail of the astronauts’ life in space was to be recorded for future examination and there was little left to chance. Virtually every minute of each day was spelled out by the flight control directors on the ground and the rigid timelines were to be followed to the letter. The astronauts were to conduct experiments on themselves (exercise) as well as other scientific fields (solar astronomy, botany, biology, metals processing, etc). NASA not only wanted to study the experiments given to the astronauts but they also had designs on increasing their federal funding by showcasing the commercial possibility of a manned outpost in space. NASA therefore was trying to serve two purposes with the Skylab missions both of which they felt could coexist with each other in their pursuit for scientific answers.
Each of the Skylab missions was manned by 3 astronauts chosen from their existing space program. The first two Skylab missions were manned by astronauts who had already been to space during the Apollo missions while the Skylab 3 crew was new to space and true weightlessness. The first Skylab crew was able to settle into their routines at a relatively normal pace being as there hadn’t been a benchmark set yet. The second Skylab crew was a bunch of over-achievers
Executive Summary
This case centers on the original 3 Skylab missions that began in 1973 following a successful series of Apollo missions starting in the 1960’s. NASA viewed the Skylab missions as logical successors of the Apollo missions and each of the Skylab missions picked up where the prior one left off. The primary focus of the missions was to determine if humans could in fact live comfortably for extended periods of time in weightless conditions and prior to Skylab, there was very little solid research done.
Each of the Skylab missions would be longer in length with Skylab 1 starting with 4 weeks followed by Skylab 2 at 8 weeks and finally Skylab 3 at 12 weeks. Every detail of the astronauts’ life in space was to be recorded for future examination and there was little left to chance. Virtually every minute of each day was spelled out by the flight control directors on the ground and the rigid timelines were to be followed to the letter. The astronauts were to conduct experiments on themselves (exercise) as well as other scientific fields (solar astronomy, botany, biology, metals processing, etc). NASA not only wanted to study the experiments given to the astronauts but they also had designs on increasing their federal funding by showcasing the commercial possibility of a manned outpost in space. NASA therefore was trying to serve two purposes with the Skylab missions both of which they felt could coexist with each other in their pursuit for scientific answers.
Each of the Skylab missions was manned by 3 astronauts chosen from their existing space program. The first two Skylab missions were manned by astronauts who had already been to space during the Apollo missions while the Skylab 3 crew was new to space and true weightlessness. The first Skylab crew was able to settle into their routines at a relatively normal pace being as there hadn’t been a benchmark set yet. The second Skylab crew was a bunch of over-achievers