nasa:

Behold—the space station of the future! (…from 1973)

An artist's concept illustrating a cutaway view of the Skylab 1 Orbital Workshop (OWS). The OWS is a circular space with several vertical layers with floors that look like golden honeycombs. Different parts of the workshop are labeled, like the control and display panel where an astronaut in an orange jumpsuit works, film vaults, experiment support system, and the shower. Credit: NASAALT

This artist’s concept gives a cutaway view of the Skylab orbital workshop, which launched 50 years ago on May 14, 1973. Established in 1970, the Skylab Program’s goals were to enrich our scientific knowledge of Earth, the sun, the stars, and cosmic space; to study the effects of weightlessness on living organisms; to study the effects of the processing and manufacturing of materials in the absence of gravity; and to conduct Earth-resource observations.

Three crews visited Skylab and carried out 270 scientific and technical investigations in the fields of physics, astronomy, and biological sciences. They also proved that humans could live and work in outer space for extended periods of time, laying the groundwork for the International Space Station.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Read this next