Expedition 2

mission flag

Andrew James Lamb

Jucellino Valentim

Lilly Mann

George Neal

Crew poster with the slogan "refrigeration: pizza night:

Expedition 2 was the second long term mission to the Skylab Workshop Station, that began on November 25, 1976 with the first launches of the Soyuz-Classic and Cygnus vehicles. The expediton ended on January 8th 1977.

It was commanded by Thomlo Kerman, who also served during Expedition 1.

## Background

Following the success of the previous pioneering mission, new astronauts were excited to come visit the Skylab and live aboard longer, beginning with a 44-day expedition.

At this time, the station's now ill-fated competitor: *Odyssey*, had experienced massive crew morale decline after another onboard fan heater fire, and thus most of the volunter crew returned to Earth and later came aboard this mission.

Shortly before the conclusion of Expedtion One, NASA approved the launch date of the first 'experimental' Soyuz-Classic spacecraft, and the European Cygnus cargo vehicle that was to deliver the payloads.

On November 24th 1976, the crew rocket blasted off from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39A at 10:12 am EST.

The European Cygnus vehicle atop a Saturn 1B rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41 five days later.

## Crew

The crew consisted of thrity-five members, including Clare Kerman, Ethan Crawford, Andrew James Lamb and his boyfriend Jucellino Valentim, Gregfrid Kerman, Lilly Mann and George Neal (friends of John Chryslar since high school).

Nancy Kerman (who was on-board *Odyssey* Expedition 3 two months prior) also was the commander of the Soyuz-Classic crew.

They docked to the space station 7 hours later at 5:43 PM on Nov 24.

## Objectives

The primary objective of this expedtion was to launch, deliver, install and set-up the food storage refrigerators on the space station, and provide delicious long-term food supplies just like any conventional home.

#### Food storage machines

    NASA ordered four refrigerators, manufactured by Daweoo Electronics of South Korea, and modified by NASA to function in the weightless environment of the space station.

To meet the space station's food supply requirements, each of the design constraints had to be accomplished:

* Maintain an internal ambient temperature of -37\*C for the freezer compartment, and 4\*C for the fridge compartment at all times
* Resistant to vibration (during launch), corrosion and blockages.
* Have a backup generator in case the station power fails
* Easy to use and maintain
* Provide ice and refreshments for the crew quicky
* Provide storage of up to 1,800 L of volume for different food sizes
* Made from durable materials, such as stainless steel and reinforced plastic.
* Recycle waste heat generated by the system into an efficient application, such as ambient station heating systems or science experiments.

#### Installation

Once the four refrigerators arrived at the station via the Cygnus spacecraft, the crew maneuvered each one manually (which had a mass of 310 kg when empty) through the station, into the workshop segment, and bolted them securely onto the decks and other surfaces. They are located in the lounge, computer area, science storage bay and the dining area.

The crew were given instruction manuals of how to install and set up the refrigerators. After three hours of work, the exciting task was completed.

#### Other payloads

Along with the four fridges, the ESA cygnus carried pizza-making ingredients for the space station crew to make pizza dinner when finished. Computer chairs and a dinner desk equipped with a TV were also launched, to make way for a new dining area.

Eight new microwave ovens manufactured by Panasonic were also delivered to the station.

## Mission Highlights

A week before this mission was launched, a Soyuz-1B rocket launched a new Node module, called *Unity*, to the space station. Node 1 is made from a stainless steel alloy coated with a white polymer fabric for insulation. It docked to the forward docking port on Skylab's command/control module.

After the arrival of the ESA Cygnus 1 spacecraft filled with their cargo, the Expedition 2 crew opened the hatch in Node 1, and maneuvered the machines all the way to the workshop segment.

Gregfrid Kerman was in charge of installing the refrigerators and dining chairs and desks. He enjoyed his task while the crew were working on the computers. In the weighless environment the heavy refrigerators were very easy to handle, as mass in space still carries momentum.