308 HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



RENEWED SUPPORT FOR SKYLAB 



In the authorization hearings in 1971, Congressman Winn first 

 raised the question of a possible second series of Skylab flights, noting: 



After the Skylab missions in 1973, we face at least four years in which there will 

 be no U.S. manned space flight. 



The committee in 1971 recommended adding $30 million to 

 examine the possibility of a second Skylab set of missions in 1974. 

 The House approved this addition. Also, the committee recommended, 

 and the House endorsed adding $15 million for Skylab "for a rescue 

 capability for the most probable failure situations." 



The $15 million add-on was a personal victory for Manned Space 

 Flight Subcommittee Chairman Teague. Safety in space had been one 

 of Teague's highest priorities from the start of the space program. 

 The loss of three personal friends and the investigative hearings on 

 the Apollo fire seared the issue even more deeply on his mind. In a brief 

 and pointed letter to the President on November 5, 1969, Teague noted: 



One portion of this future effort continues to concern me and that is the ability 

 to provide space rescue and to react adequately to space flight emergency. Both the 

 Space Task Group Report and the NASA report discussed in substantial detail future 

 significant directions necessary for a well-balanced space program. However, no 

 discussion or consideration is provided in this report to react to space flight emer- 

 gencies and to provide for space rescue capability. The programs proposed fail to 

 provide the focus and impetus necessary to assure the adequate planning for a true 

 space rescue capability. 



As their initial response to the Teague letter, NASA appointed a space 

 station safety adviser and also established a Shuttle safety advisory 

 panel. As a subsequent followup, during 1970 the NASA centers at 

 Cape Canaveral, Huntsville, and Houston made feasibility assessments 

 of providing a crew rescue capability for Skylab. This resulted in a 

 decision to modify a command and service module by removing the 

 astronauts' stowage lockers so as to accommodate a five-man crew 

 instead of three; the modified craft would then be launched with two 

 astronauts if necessary to rescue the three astronauts in the Skylab 

 orbital workshop. 



The committee solidly supported Skylab, and some members 

 expressed their feelings even more strongly. In 1971, Bell, supported 

 by Goldwater and Fulton, had this to say in "Additional Views" 

 attached to the committee report: 



There is equipment in inventory which would permit follow-on Skylab activity 

 at a minimal additional investment. Furthermore, there are numerous productive 

 experiments which could be flown, particularly in the area of applications. 



Similar views, with strong minority support for both extending Sky- 

 lab missions and speeding up the Shuttle, were expressed by Winn and 

 Price, and endorsed by Frey, Goldwater, Camp, and Fulton. 



