| NASA Center: |
Headquarters |
|---|
| Image # : |
2B24070-Fig3 |
|---|
| Date : |
1960
|
|---|
|
Title
Proposed USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory
Full Description
A 1960 concept image of the United States Air Force's
proposed Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) that was intended to
test the military usefulness of having humans in orbit. The
station's baseline configuration was that of a two-person Gemini
B spacecraft that could be attached to a laboratory vehicle. The
structure was planned to launch onboard a Titan IIIC rocket. The
station would be used for a month and then the astronauts could
return to the Gemini capsule for transport back to Earth. The
first launch of the MOL was scheduled for December 15, 1969, but
was then pushed back to the fall of 1971. The program was
cancelled by Defense Secretary Melvin R. Laird in 1969 after the
estimated cost of the program had risen in excess of $3 billion,
and had already spent $1.3 billion. Some of the military
astronauts selected for the program then transferred to NASA and
became some of the first people to fly the Space Shuttle,
including Richard Truly, who later became the NASA Administrator.
Keywords
international space station concepts MOL Manned Orbiting
Laboratory military Air Force
Subject Category
Space-Station Concepts,
Reference Numbers
- Center:
HQ
- Center Number:
2B24070-Fig3
- GRIN DataBase Number:
GPN-2003-00094
Source Information
- Creator/Photographer: NASA
- Original Source: Digital
| Resolution | Format | Width
(Pixels) | Height
(Pixels) | Size
(KBytes) |
Thumbnail |
JPEG |
135 |
99 |
15 |
Small |
JPEG |
1080 |
793 |
516 |
Medium |
JPEG |
2250 |
1653 |
2,045 |
Large |
JPEG |
4500 |
3305 |
10,348 |
Other relevant NASA Web sites:
• NASA Headquarters
• NASA History Office
• NASA Image eXchange (NIX)
• NASA Multimedia Gallery
• NASA Human Spaceflight
Updated October 31, 2002
• History Questions: NASA History Office
• Responsible NASA Official: Steve Garber
• Author: Michael Hahn. Editor: Dwayne A. Day
• Curator & Technical Questions: Erin Needham
• NASA's Privacy Statement
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