Skylab Skylab Skylab was a United States space station launched and operated by NASA, and occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974 – the only space station the U.S. has operated exclusively. In 1979 it fell back to Earth amid huge worldwide media attention. 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 (famous for carrying the
Space architecture On July 12, 2006 the "Genesis I" experimental space habitat was launched into low Earth orbit. "Genesis I" demonstrated the basic viability of inflatable space structures, even carrying a payload of life science experiments. The second module, "Genesis II", was launched into orbit on June 28, 2007 and tested out several improvements over its predecessor. Among these are reaction wheel assemblies, a precision measurement system for guidance, nine additional cameras, improved gas control for module inflation, and an improved on-board sensor suite. While Bigelow architecture is still modular, the inflatable configuration allows for much more interior volume than rigid modules.