On June 2, 1973, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., conducted underwater simulations to evaluate possible techniques for freeing jammed solar array panels on the Skylab orbital workshop. A metal strap became tangled over one of the folded solar array panels when Skylab lost its micrometeoroid shield during the launch.
On June 2, 1973, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., conducted underwater simulations to evaluate possible techniques for freeing jammed solar array panels on the Skylab orbital workshop. A metal strap became tangled over one of the folded solar array panels when Skylab lost its micrometeoroid shield during the launch. Extensive testing and many hours of practice in Marshall’s Neutral Buoyancy Simulator helped prepare the Skylab crew for emergency repair procedures in the weightless environment.
This photograph shows Astronaut Russell Schweickart trying out a bone saw.
Image credit: NASA/MSFC