Skylab is a National United States Space Program. It was first adapted in a Saturn V Rocket. Three crews of three men each occupied it. A commander, a pilot, and a scientist .There were four missions. Number one was a safety check. Obviously, it was unmanned. Numbers two, three, and four were manned and they succeeded.

Astronauts that Skylab II carried were Charles Conrad, Jr., Paul Weitz, and Joseph Kerwin. Skylab III held Alan Bean, Jack Lousma, and Owen Garriot. Aboard Skylab IV was Gerald Carr, William Poque, and Edward Gibson. Skylab started on May 14, 1973. It was launched out of a rocket booster. One of its shields ripped off, taking a solar panel with it.

It was maneuvered so its ATM solar panels faced the Sun to make more electricity. But because of the shield loss the temperature raised to 126 degrees Fahrenheit. Skylab two was manned and launched  on May 25, 1973. It plummeted toward Earth on June 22, 1973. Skylab three started July 28, 1973 and landed September 25, 1973. Skylab  four was launched into orbit on November 16, 1973, it was the last of the Skylab missions. It included a photograph of the comet Khoutek. It increased time by 50% and completed 1,214 Earth orbits.

Skylab was U.S.A.'s first experimental space station. It was proof that people were capable enough to live and work in space. Nearly three hundred experiments were collected in 171 days. It was designed for long missions, as you can see. Some of the missions were three months long. Skylab 2 made 404 Earth orbits. Number three did 1081 orbits, and number four did 1214 orbits.

Credits:

http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/history/skylab/skylab-2.htmsolarviews.com/eng/solarsys.htm
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/skylab.htm

Skylab pic: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/skylab.htm

Patch: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/history/skylab/skylab-2.htm