1973-090A
- Commander Gerald Carr, LtCol USMC
- Science Pilot Edward Gibson, Ph.D., NASA
- Pilot William Pogue, LtCol USAF
Skylab SL-3 Crew
Apollo CSM 118 was stood down from its role as Skylab Rescue on 1973 Sep 9 (see SL-3). Launch as Skylab SL-4 was at 1401:23 on 1973 Nov 16. It reached a 154 x 224 km x 50.0 deg Earth orbit at 1411:10. The S-IVB stage separated at 1426:22.
The rendezvous burns began at 1624 with a 2-second SPS firing. By 1958 UT the ship was in a 412 x 421 km orbit, and rendezvous was complete by 2126. SL-4 docked at the axial port on the third attempt at 2202. The hatches were opened at 1430 on Nov 17. The CSM was powered down on Dec 4. Meanwhile, on 3 Dec the SA-209 rocket arrived at pad 39B with Apollo CSM 119 on top. CSM 119 would be Skylab Rescue with the Brand-Lind crew if a rescue were needed for this mission.
CSM 118 was powered up again on 1974 Feb 6. The crew had entered the spaceship by 0615 on Feb 8 and installed the docking probe at 0630. A test burn with the RCS thrusters was made at 0815. Undocking came at 1034 and was followed by a flyaround of Skylab. At 1100:07 an RCS sep burn changed the orbit from 433 x 456 km to 430 x 456 km. An SPS orbit shaping burn at 1132:54 lowered the orbit to 168 x 430 km. The SPS fired again at 1435:59 for the deorbit burn. The SM separated and the CM reentered, splashing down in the Pacific at 1516:55 on 1974 Feb 8. Landing was at 119 48 12W 31 18 12 N It was recovered by the USS New Orleans.
| Apollo CSM 118 Mission Log | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 Nov 16 | 1401:23 | Launch | |
| 1403:41 | T+2:18 IECO | ||
| 1403:44 | T+2:21 OECO | ||
| T+2:22 Stage 1 sep | -6128 x 107 x 40.8 | ||
| 1403:50 | T+2:27 S4B MES-1, 432s burn | ||
| 1404 | LES sep | ||
| 1411:00 | T+9:37 GCS | ||
| 1411:10 | MECO | ||
| 1973 Nov 16 | 1411:10 | Earth orbit insertion | 158 x 227 x 49.64 |
| 1419:23 | S4B sep (MPR-SAT) | 164 x 253 x 50.30 | |
| 1973 Nov 16 | 1624:21 | SPS 2s burn, 190 x 233 km | |
| 1973 Nov 16 | 1836:19 | SPS 7s burn, 190 x 394 km | |
| 1973 Nov 16 | 1921:26 | NCC (10s RCS), 190 x 411 km | |
| 1973 Nov 16 | 1958:27 | NSR (1s SPS) 412 x 421 | |
| 1973 Nov 16 | 2049:00 | TPI 1s 5m/s | |
| 1973 Nov 16 | 2122:37 | TPF | |
| 1973 Nov 16 | 2126 | Rendezvous with Skylab, 422 x 437 km | |
| 2 failed docking attempts | |||
| 1973 Nov 16 | 2202 | Docking with Skylab MDA | |
| 1973 Nov 17 | 1430 | Hatches open | |
| 1973 Dec 4 | CSM power down | ||
| 1974 Feb 6 | CSM power up | ||
| 1974 Feb 8 | 0615 | Crew entry | |
| 1974 Feb 8 | 0815 | RCS test | |
| 1974 Feb 8 | 1034 | Undocking from Skylab MDA | |
| 1974 Feb 8 | Skylab flyaround | ||
| 1974 Feb 8 | 1100:07 | Sep (RCS), 430 x 456 km | |
| 1974 Feb 8 | 1132:54 | Orbit shaping 12s (SPS), 168 x 430 km | |
| 1974 Feb 8 | 1435:59 | Deorbit 8s(SPS) | |
| 1436:06 | DO CO | ||
| 1974 Feb 8 | 1440? | SM separation | |
| 1974 Feb 8 | 1507? | Entry interface | |
| 1974 Feb 8 | 1516:55 | Splashdown 289 km SW of San Diego | |
| 1974 Feb 8 | 1600? | Recovered by USS New Orleans | |
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