Editing Skylab (section)

=== Air Force plans ===
The [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] (DoD) and NASA cooperated closely in many areas of space.<ref>{{harvp|Heppenheimer|1999|pp=198–202}}.</ref> In September 1963, NASA and the DoD agreed to cooperate in building a space station.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|p=17}}.</ref> The DoD wanted its own crewed facility, however,<ref name="Heppenheimer203">{{harvp|Heppenheimer|1999|p=203}}.</ref> and in December 1963 it announced [[Manned Orbital Laboratory]] (MOL), a small space station primarily intended for photo reconnaissance using large telescopes directed by a two-person crew. The station was the same diameter as a [[Titan II GLV|Titan II upper stage]], and would be launched with the crew riding atop in a modified Gemini capsule with a hatch cut into the [[heat shield]] on the bottom of the capsule.<ref>{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|pp=17–19}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/craft/mol.htm |title=MOL (Manned Orbiting Laboratory)|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721035424/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/mol.htm|archive-date=July 21, 2009}}</ref> MOL competed for funding with a NASA station for the next five years<ref>{{harvp|Benson|Compton|1983|p=15}}.</ref> and politicians and other officials often suggested that NASA participate in MOL or use the DoD design.<ref name=Heppenheimer203/> The military project led to changes to the NASA plans so that they would resemble MOL less.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>