employer paul j. weitz
The Saturn IB ( pronounced " one B ", also known as the Uprated Saturn I ) was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the ___MASK81___ ( NASA ) for the Apollo program . It replaced the S - IV second stage of the Saturn I with the much more powerful S - IVB , able to launch a partially fueled Apollo Command / Service Module ( CSM ) or a fully fueled Lunar Module ( LM ) into low Earth orbit for early flight tests before the larger Saturn V needed for lunar flight was ready . Space is the boundless three - dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction . Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions , although modern physicists usually consider it , with ___MASK48___ , to be part of a boundless four - dimensional continuum known as spacetime . The concept of space is considered to be of fundamental importance to an understanding of the physical universe . However , disagreement continues between philosophers over whether it is itself an entity , a relationship between entities , or part of a conceptual framework . The Extravehicular Mobility Unit ( EMU ) is an independent anthropomorphic spacesuit that provides environmental protection , mobility , ___MASK69___ support , and communications for astronauts performing extra - vehicular activity ( EVA ) in Earth orbit . Introduced in 1981 , it is a two - piece semi - rigid suit , and is currently one of two EVA spacesuits used by crew members on the International Space Station ( ISS ), the other being the Russian Orlan space suit . It was used by NASA ' s Space Shuttle astronauts prior to the end of the Shuttle program in 2011 . Skylab was the United States ' first space station , orbiting Earth from 1973 to 1979 , when it fell back to Earth amid huge worldwide media attention . Launched and operated by NASA , Skylab included a workshop , a solar observatory , and other systems necessary for crew survival and scientific experiments . It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket , with a weight of . Lifting Skylab into low earth orbit was the final mission and launch of a Saturn V rocket ( which was famous for carrying the manned Moon landing missions ). Skylab was not simply a place of habitation ; it was a place of massive science experiments for which when the bulk of data was returned , such as on films that had to be physically returned to Earth began the process of analyzing scientific and engineering data as each mission was completed . Skylab ' s solar observatory was one major aspect of study , and solar science was significantly advanced by the telescope ; it observed ___MASK83___ as it never before . As Skylab finished up NASA ' s focus had shifted to development of the Space Shuttle , which had the promise of reducing the cost of space access compared to the previous launch systems ___MASK83___ is the star at the center of the Solar System . It is a nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma , with internal convective motion that generates a magnetic field via a dynamo process .< ref name =" doi10 . 1146 / annurev - astro - 081913 - 040012 "></ ref > It is by far the most important source of energy for ___MASK69___ on Earth . Its diameter is about 109 times that of Earth , and its mass is about 330 , 000 times that of Earth , accounting for about 99 . 86 % of the total mass of the Solar System . About three quarters of the Sun ' s mass consists of hydrogen (~ 73 %); the rest is mostly helium (~ 25 %), with much smaller quantities of heavier elements , including oxygen , carbon , neon , and iron . The Saturn V ( spoken as " Saturn five ") was an American human - rated expendable rocket used by NASA between 1967 and 1973 . The three - stage liquid - fueled super heavy - lift launch vehicle was developed to support the Apollo program for human ___MASK9___ of the Moon , and was later used to launch Skylab , the first American space station . The Saturn V was launched 13 times from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with no loss of crew or payload . , the Saturn V remains the tallest , heaviest , and most powerful ( highest total impulse ) rocket ever brought to operational status , and holds records for the heaviest payload launched and largest payload capacity to low Earth orbit ( LEO ) of , which included the third stage and unburned propellant needed to send the Apollo Command / Service Module and Lunar Module to the Moon . Earth , otherwise known as the world , is the third planet from ___MASK83___ and the only object in the Universe known to harbor ___MASK69___ . It is the densest planet in the Solar System and the largest of the four terrestrial planets . The John F . Kennedy Space Center ( KSC ) is one of ten ___MASK81___ field centers . Since December 1968 , Kennedy Space Center has been NASA ' s primary launch center of human spaceflight . Launch operations for the Apollo , Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC . Located on the east coast of Florida , KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station ( CCAFS ). The management of the two entities work very closely together , share resources , and even own facilities on each other ' s property . A tracking and data relay satellite ( TDRS ) is a type of communications satellite that forms part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System ( TDRSS ) used by NASA and other United States government agencies for communications to and from independent " User Platforms " such as satellites , balloons , aircraft , the International Space Station , and remote bases like the Amundsen - Scott South Pole Station . This system was designed to replace an existing worldwide network of ground stations that had supported all of NASA ' s manned flight missions and unmanned satellites in low - Earth orbits . The primary system design goal was to increase the amount of ___MASK48___ that these spacecraft were in communication with the ground and improve the amount of data that could be transferred . These TDRSS satellites are all designed and built to be launched to and function in geosynchronous orbit , above the surface of the Earth . The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated by the U . S . ___MASK81___ ( NASA ), as part of the Space Shuttle program . Its official program name was " Space Transportation System ( STS )", taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development . The first of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981 , leading to operational flights beginning in 1982 . Five complete Shuttle systems were built and used on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011 , launched from the Kennedy Space Center ( KSC ) in Florida . Operational missions launched numerous satellites , interplanetary probes , and the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ); conducted science experiments in orbit ; and participated in construction and servicing of the International Space Station . The Shuttle fleet ' s total mission time was 1322 days , 19 hours , 21 minutes and 23 seconds . STS - 6 was the sixth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle " Challenger ". Launched from Kennedy Space Center on 4 April 1983 , the mission deployed the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite , TDRS - 1 , into orbit , before landing at Edwards Air Force Base on 9 April . STS - 6 was the first Space Shuttle mission during which a spacewalk was conducted , and hence was the first in which the Extravehicular Mobility Unit ( EMU ) was used . Paul Joseph Weitz ( born July 25 , 1932 ) , ( Capt , USN , Ret . ) , is a retired American naval officer and aviator , aeronautical engineer , test pilot , and former NASA astronaut , who flew into space twice . He was a member of the three - man crew who flew on Skylab 2 , the first manned Skylab mission . He was also Commander of the STS - 6 mission , the first of the Space Shuttle Challenger flights . A spacecraft is a vehicle , or machine designed to fly in outer space . Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes , including communications , earth observation , meteorology , navigation , space colonization , planetary ___MASK9___ , and transportation of humans and cargo . The ___MASK81___ ( NASA ) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research . A space station , also known as an orbital station or an orbital space station , is a spacecraft capable of supporting crewmembers , which is designed to remain in space ( most commonly as an artificial satellite in low Earth orbit ) for an extended period of ___MASK48___ and for other spacecraft to dock . A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by lack of major propulsion or landing systems . Instead , other vehicles transport people and cargo to and from the station . three space stations are in orbit : the International Space Station , which is permanently manned , China ' s Tiangong - 1 ( defunct ) and Tiangong - 2 ( launched 15 September 2016 , not permanently manned ). Previous stations include the Almaz and Salyut series , Skylab , and most recently " Mir ". Aeronautics ( from the ancient Greek words  " r ", which means " air ", and  " nautik " which means " navigation ", i . e . " navigation into the air ") is the science or art involved with the study , design , and manufacturing of air flight capable machines , and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere . The British ___MASK1___ identifies the aspects of " aeronautical Art , Science and Engineering " and " the profession of Aeronautics ( which expression includes Astronautics )." Edwards Air Force Base ( AFB ) is a ___MASK33___ installation in southern California , located approximately northeast of Lancaster and east of Rosamond . Skylab 2 ( also SL - 2 and SLM - 1 ) was the first manned mission to Skylab , the first U . S . orbital space station . The mission was launched on a Saturn IB rocket and carried a three - person crew to the station . The name Skylab 2 also refers to the vehicle used for that mission . The Skylab 2 mission established a twenty - eight - day record for human spaceflight duration . Furthermore , its crew were the first space station occupants ever to return safely to Earth  the only previous space station occupants , the crew of the 1971 Soyuz 11 mission that had manned the Salyut 1 station for twenty - four days , were killed during reentry .