Exploring the earth's atmosphere by photography from Skylab

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric science
• Earth observation
• Space physics

Background:

• Revived interest in upper atmosphere studies at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
• Utilized a 35-mm camera with interference filters and a UV-transmitting window on Skylab.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design simple experiments for photographing atmospheric phenomena from space.
• To study Earth's twilight and night airglow and daytime ozone layer.
• To observe other atmospheric events like auroras and noctilucent clouds.

Main Methods:

• Deployment of a 35-mm camera system with specialized filters through Skylab's scientific airlocks.
• Conducting experiments at an average altitude of 435 km.
• Leveraging astronaut capabilities for target selection and data optimization.

Main Results:

• Successfully photographed twilight and night airglow.
• Captured images of the daytime ozone layer.
• Observed polar auroras and noctilucent clouds with some success.
• Obtained photographs of Comet Kohoutek.

Conclusions:

• The camera system proved versatile for diverse atmospheric and celestial observations.
• Human involvement in space was crucial for optimizing data acquisition.
• The experiments demonstrated the potential for in-situ atmospheric studies from orbital platforms.