Mar
09

5 Random Things About Skylab

By Tamahome Jenkins · March 9, 2010 · Comments (2)

SkylabSkylab was the first and only American space station to date (I’m not counting the International Space Station because of the cooperation of the 15 other countries in addition to the United States). It suffered from being stuck between two eras; the era of moon exploration and the space shuttle era, and thus was only visited 3 times. The U.S. abandoned Skylab in 1974 after it had no more vehicles capable of reaching the station, and it burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere in 1979. Here are 5 more quirky facts about Skylab.

  1. Skylab was the first spacecraft to be inhabited for over 100 days. The crews that visited Skylab remained in orbit for a total of 171 days. They proved that humans could remain in space for an extended period of time.
  2. Each Skylab crew set a new spaceflight duration record. The first crew was the first to remain in orbit for four weeks, the second crew was the first to remain in orbit for eight weeks, and the third crew was the first to remain in orbit for twelve weeks.
  3. The commander of the first manned Skylab mission was also the 3rd person to walk on the moon. Paul Pete Conrad, commander of the Skylab-2 mission was also the commander of the Apollo 12 mission, which was the second trip to the moon.
  4. Skylab was NOT the world’s first space station. The Soviet Union launched Salyut-1, the first manned space station, in 1971. As a matter of fact, the Soviet Union built four space stations before the United States launched Skylab in 1973. One failed to enter orbit and two failed to remain in orbit long enough to send a manned mission to them.
  5. Skylab re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere prematurely. Skylab was supposed to remain in orbit for 8-10 years after the last mission in 1974. However, due to unexpectedly high solar activity, Skylab re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere in 1979. When it re-entered, it scattered debris across Western Australia and the eastern part of the Indian Ocean. The Shire of Esperance, a municipal area of southwest Australia, issued NASA a $400 fine for littering, a fine which remain unpaid until 2009.

Skylab is a monument to human achievement. It proved that people could survive in weightlessness for extended periods, and many of the principles of Skylab have been used in successive space stations, including Mir and the International Space Station.

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Born on July 10, 1856, Nikola Tesla was quite possibly one of the greatest inventors in modern history. Originally from Serbia, Tesla emigrated to the United States in 1884, where he became an employee of Thomas Edison. The two would become rivals over differences of opinion about money and electrical currents. Nevertheless, Tesla became [...] Continue Reading…

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The Winter Olympics have come and gone, and it’s March already. It was truly a spectacular Winter Olympics, which was dominated by North America (talk about a home-field advantage!). Before we move on to the World Cup, let’s take a look back at some of the accomplishments during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

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February has come and gone, and with it goes another Black History Month. During the month, I ran a poll asking whether or not you thought Black History Month was obsolete, and a solid majority of you (58%) said yes. I completely agree, and here’s why:

Black History Month is based on arcane notions about [...] Continue Reading…

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Feb
28

Links of Interest Vol. 9

By Tamahome Jenkins · February 28, 2010 · Comments (2)

As Black History Month draws to a close, I want to share the most popular post on EiH for the month of February: 5 Random Things About 5 Forgotten Black Inventors. Once you’re done with that, check out these other fascinating stories from around the Internet.

Top 10 Bizarre Micronations
The 10 Most Important Kisses in [...] Continue Reading…

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Feb
26

5 Random Things About Julius Caesar Watts

By Tamahome Jenkins · February 26, 2010 · Comments (3)

Just who is J.C. Watts? He was once one of the most prominent Republicans in Congress. Oh, and he was black. Read on for more fascinating facts about Watts.

J.C. Watts was born on November 18, 1957 in Eufala, Oklahoma. He was one of the first children to attend an integrated elementary school in Oklahoma, [...] Continue Reading…

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Feb
25

5 Random Things About Langston Hughes

By Tamahome Jenkins · February 25, 2010 · Comments (0)

Langston Hughes is one of America’s most well-known black poets, rising to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance. He was one of the early innovators of jazz poetry, considered by many to be the predecessor of modern hip-hop and rap. Read on for more fascinating facts about Langston Hughes.

Born James Mercer Langston Hughes in 1902, [...] Continue Reading…

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