enviable task of keeping the spacecraft as close as just 60 cm from the
station, whilst at the same time trying to prevent the unwanted oscillations from causing a collision. His
task was compounded by the fact
that a third of his field of view was
blocked by the command module’s open hatch. “It made for
some dicey times,” Weitz recalled.
As the two vehicles entered orbital
darkness, he paused in his work,
then resumed as they flew within
range of the tracking station. The
shepherd’s crook was getting him
nowhere and the torrent of fourletter words from all three members
of the crew even prompted the
capcom to advise them to modify
their language; for they were on an
‘open mike’.
The main problem, Conrad told
the ground, was that a strip of metal had become wrapped across
the solar array system during the
separation of the micrometeoroid
shield. Its metal bolts had tangled
themselves in the array, thereby
jamming it, and none of Weitz’ actions to cut the strap, even with the
loppers, were having any effect.
“Rather than cutting it across
the short way, we were trying to
cut along the long way,” Weitz
explained, “and just didn’t have
enough muscle with that thing, because it was six or eight feet out
ahead of me and I was pulling on
a line to try to do it.”
The metal strap, ironically, was
only a few centimetres wide, but it
was riveted fast and Conrad knew
they did not have a hope of breaking it using the tools in the command module. The attempt was
called off and after 40 minutes or
so the astronauts were instructed to
close the hatch and re-dock with
Skylab.
On their first attempt to dock,
the probe did not engage with the
drogue and no fewer than three
further attempts were also fruitless.
“Pete gave Weitz the controls,”
Nancy Conrad wrote, “depressurised the command module and
opened the tunnel hatch. He and
Joe dove head-first into the bank
of circuits and gizmos, Pete cussing
38
38
A view of the repaired Skylab Space Station cluster 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 a cloud-covered Earth.
Photo: NASA via Retro Space Images
a blue streak as he sorted through
wires, cutting and splicing like [an
angry] Maytag repairman trying to
get a dryer to work again.”
After an hour or so of re-routing
and connecting wires, bypassing
electrical relays for the capture
latches on the tip of the probe,
skinning knuckles and a handful of
undesirable vocabulary, Conrad
used the service module’s thrusters
to bring the two collars into direct
contact, mechanically triggering
the dozen capture latches.
They were at Skylab to stay.
Next morning, the crew op V