Solar environment support for Skylab

Abstract

Solar support for the ATM PIs (Apollo Telescope Mount Principle Investigators) and NASA was provided by NOAA's real-time data network through the NOAA-SOLAR facility in the ATM Science Support Room at Mission Control in Houston, Tex. Support was in the form of solar data - e.g., ground-based photographs of H-alpha (hydrogen-alpha), calcium, and magnetograms; voice/teletype reports of activity; analysis and forecasts; and assistance to the PIs and NASA as needed. This required establishing a communication system to a worldwide network of observatories, acquiring data transmission and dissemination equipment, and developing techniques to improve ATM related forecasts. This support began about one month before the first launch of the Skylab series and continued until splashdown of the last mission.