Dean Ellis: Skylab in Orbit

Artist: Dean Ellis
1920 -
Nationality: American
Artwork Year: 1992
Image Size: 16.5 by 18 inches
Overall Size: 20.5 by 22 inches
Medium: Tempera on Masonite

It was May 14, 1973. Severely damaged by the force of its launch, America's ambitious Skylab project appeared to be a $2.6 billion write-off. A large piece of Skylab's heat shield had broken away, tearing off a 2,000-watt solar panel in the process. A second solar panel was jammed by debris. Three times Mission Control radioed a message commanding the second panel to open. Three times nothing happened. Back on Earth, NASA scientists worked frantically to solve the problem. All the while, temperatures were rising in the stricken craft, eventually reaching a sweltering 165ø F before a booster rocket was fired to turn the unshielded area away from the sun. When, 10 days later, astronauts Joseph Kerwin, Pete Conrad and Paul Weitz arrived, the temperature in Skylab was still hovering around 130ø. Hastily, they erected a sun-blocking parasol and soon temperatures dropped to the 70s. Later, repairs were made to the remaining solar panel, permitting Skylab to function at near-normal levels, making possible some very fascinating research. Over the next year, two more teams of astronauts utilized Skylab for a broad range of experiments, studying the sun, mapping the Earth to locate natural resources and observing animal and human adaption to weightlesness. When Skylab fell to Earth on July 12, 1979, it had traveled nearly 950 million miles over six years and two months. And, overcoming a shaky start, it had provided endless fascination for the ever-curious men of planet Earth.

This artwork was originally published on the Fleetwood® First Day Cover for the U.S. 29¢ Skylab stamp issued May 29, 1992.

Artwork Copyright © 1992 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

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