Description

In 1969, NASA explored the possibility of creating a space station to support scientific experiments in space. The project, named Skylab in 1970, launched in 1973.

NASA was also making plans for Skylab-B, an international version of Skylab, and they contracted with the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory to develop SKYLOTS (Skylab-B Optical Telescope System), a solar observatory to replace Skylab’s Apollo Telescope Mount. Budget cuts doomed Skylab-B, however, and SKYLOTS never made it into orbit.