Editing Skylab (section)

=== Orbital operations ===
[[File:Astronaut Owen Garriott Performs EVA During Skylab 3 - GPN-2002-000065.jpg|thumb|left|[[Owen Garriott]] performing an EVA in 1973]]
{{Bar graph
| title       = Days in space
| float       = right
| bar_width   = 10
| width_units = em
| data_max    = 100
| label_type  = Mission
| data_type   = #
| label1      = [[Skylab 2]]
| data1       = 28
| label2      = [[Skylab 3]]
| data2       = 60
| label3      = [[Skylab 4]]
| data3       = 84
}}

Originally intended to be visited by one 28–day and two 56–day missions for a total of 140 days,<ref name="frielingv5no4">{{cite journal |last=Frieling |first=Thomas |title=Skylab B:Unflowm Missions, Lost Opportunities |url=http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=13040.0;attach=106506 |journal=QUEST |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=12–21 |quote=Three crews, launched atop Saturn 1Bs, would visit the space station for visits of 28 days for the first crew and 56 days each for the final two crews.}}</ref> Skylab was ultimately occupied for 171 days and 13 hours during its three crewed expeditions, orbiting the Earth 2,476 times. Each of these extended the human record of 23 days for amount of time spent in space set by the Soviet [[Soyuz 11]] crew aboard the space station [[Salyut 1]] on June 30, 1971. Skylab&nbsp;2 lasted 28 days, Skylab&nbsp;3{{snd}} 56&nbsp;days, and Skylab&nbsp;4{{snd}} 84&nbsp;days. Astronauts performed ten spacewalks, totaling 42 hours and 16 minutes. Skylab logged about 2,000 hours of scientific and medical experiments, 127,000 frames of film of the [[Sun]] and 46,000 of Earth.<ref>{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|p=340}}.</ref> Solar experiments included photographs of eight [[solar flare]]s and produced valuable results<ref>{{harvp|Belew|1977|p=155}}.</ref> that scientists stated would have been impossible to obtain with uncrewed spacecraft.<ref>{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|pp=342–344}}.</ref> The existence of the Sun's [[coronal hole]]s was confirmed because of these efforts.<ref>{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|p=357}}.</ref> Many of the experiments conducted investigated the astronauts' adaptation to extended periods of [[Micro-g environment|microgravity]].

A typical day began at 6 a.m. [[Central Time Zone]].<ref>{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|pp=307–308}}.</ref> Although the toilet was small and noisy, both veteran astronauts{{snd}} who had endured earlier missions' rudimentary waste-collection systems{{snd}} and rookies complimented it.<ref>{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|pp=165, 307}}.</ref><ref name="harvp|Belew|1977|p=80|ps"/><ref name="time19730625"/> The first crew enjoyed taking a shower once a week, but found drying themselves in weightlessness<ref name="time19730625">{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,907462,00.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104224215/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,907462,00.html |url-status=dead|archive-date=January 4, 2013 |title=Living It Up in Space |publisher=Time |date=June 25, 1973 |page=61}}</ref> and vacuuming excess water difficult; later crews usually cleaned themselves daily with wet washcloths instead of using the shower. Astronauts also found that bending over in weightlessness to put on socks or tie shoelaces strained their abdominal muscles.<ref>{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|pp=306–308}}.</ref>

Breakfast began at 7 a.m. Astronauts usually stood to eat, as sitting in microgravity also strained their abdominal muscles. They reported that their food{{snd}} although greatly improved from Apollo{{snd}} was bland and repetitive, and weightlessness caused utensils, food containers, and bits of food to float away; also, gas in their drinking water contributed to [[flatulence]]. After breakfast and preparation for lunch, experiments, tests and repairs of spacecraft systems and, if possible, 90 minutes of physical exercise followed; the station had a bicycle and other equipment, and astronauts could jog around the water tank. After dinner, which was scheduled for 6&nbsp;p.m., crews performed household chores and prepared for the next day's experiments. Following lengthy daily instructions (some of which were up to 15 meters long) sent via [[teleprinter]], the crews were often busy enough to postpone sleep.<ref>{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|pp=309, 334}}.</ref><ref>{{harvp|Martin Marietta|Bendix|1978|pp=2–7}}.</ref> The station offered what a later study called "a highly satisfactory living and working environment for crews", with enough room for personal privacy.<ref>{{harvp|Martin Marietta|Bendix|1978|pp=2–4}}.</ref> Although it had a [[Darts|dart set]],<ref name="darts">{{cite web |url=http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19731653000 |title=Darts Game, Skylab |publisher=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum |access-date=May 25, 2010 |archive-date=April 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409004413/http://nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19731653000 |url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> [[playing cards]], and other recreational equipment in addition to books and music players, the window with its view of Earth became the most popular way to relax in orbit.<ref>{{harvp|Belew|1977|pp=79–80, 134–135}}.</ref>