Checked content

File:Skylab and Earth Limb - GPN-2000-001055.jpg

Featured picture star This is a featured picture, which means that members of the community have identified it as one of the finest images on the English Wikipedia, adding significantly to its accompanying article. If you have a different image of similar quality, be sure to upload it using the proper free license tag, add it to a relevant article, and nominate it.

Wikipedia
Cscr-featured.svgSound-icon-empty.svgThis is a featured picture on the English language Wikipedia ( Featured pictures) and is considered one of the finest images.

If you think this file should be featured on Wikimedia Commons as well, feel free to nominate it.
If you have an image of similar quality that can be published under a suitable copyright license, be sure to upload it, tag it, and nominate it.
Description
English: An overhead view of the Skylab Orbital Workshop in Earth orbit as photographed from the Skylab 4 Command and Service Modules (CSM) during the final fly-around by the CSM before returning home. The space station is contrasted against the pale blue Earth.

During launch on May 14, 1973, some 63 seconds into flight, the micrometeor shield on the Orbital Workshop (OWS) experienced a failure that caused it to be caught up in the supersonic air flow during ascent. This ripped the shield from the OWS and damaged the tie downs that secured one of the solar array systems.

Complete loss of one of the solar arrays happened at 593 seconds when the exhaust plume from the S-II's separation rockets impacted the partially deployed solar array system. Without the micrometeoroid shield that was to protect against solar heating as well, temperatures inside the OWS rose to 126 degrees fahrenheit.

The gold "parasol" clearly visible in the photo, was designed to replace the missing micrometeoroid shield, protecting the workshop against solar heating. The replacement solar shield was deployed by the Skylab I crew. This enabled the Skylab Orbital Workshop to fulfill all its mission objects serving as home to additional crews before being deorbited in 1978.
Date 8 February 1974
Source Great Images in NASA Description
Author NASA
Permission
( Reusing this file)
Public domain This file is in the public domain because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)
NASA logo.svg
Dialog-warning.svg
 Warnings:
  • Use of NASA logos, insignia and emblems are restricted per US law 14 CFR 1221.
  • The NASA website hosts a large number of images from the Soviet/ Russian space agency, and other non-American space agencies. These are not necessarily in the public domain.
  • Materials based on Hubble Space Telescope data may be copyrighted if they are not explicitly produced by the STScI. See also {{ PD-Hubble}} and {{ Cc-Hubble}}.
  • The SOHO (ESA & NASA) joint project implies that all materials created by its probe are copyrighted and require permission for commercial non-educational use.
  • Images featured on the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) web site may be copyrighted.
Shuttle.svg This image or video was catalogued by Johnson Space Centre of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: GPN-2000-001055 AND Alternate ID: SL4-143-4706.
This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information.
The following pages on Schools Wikipedia link to this image (list may be incomplete):

Learn more about Schools Wikipedia

Schools Wikipedia was created by children's charity SOS Children's Villages. Thanks to SOS Childrens Villages, 62,000 children are enjoying a happy childhood, with a healthy, prosperous future ahead of them. Have you heard about child sponsorship? Visit our web site to find out.