Forums
L2 Sign Up
SLS/Orion
SpaceX
Commercial
ISS
International
Other
Shop
Home
Help
Tags
Calendar
Login
Register
Forums
»
General Discussion
»
Historical Spaceflight
»
Skylab crew positions
Print
Pages: [
1
]
Go Down
Author
Topic: Skylab crew positions (Read 2456 times)
Ben E
Full Member
Posts: 1132
Liked: 100
Likes Given: 9
Skylab crew positions
«
on:
03/08/2009 09:14 pm »
I've just spotted an interesting picture of the Skylab 3 crew in training, with Owen Garriott in the centre seat of the command module, and it raised a query in my mind.
I was always under the impression that the centre seat in an Apollo was occupied by the CMP (in other words, the mission's second-in-command). Although there wasn't a CMP assigned on Skylab crews, I had always assumed that the PLT (Weitz, Lousma, Pogue) was second-in-command and fulfilled CMP duties on Skylab crews, with the Science PLT equivalent to the junior LMP. Why, therefore, did the Skylab PLTs sit in the right-hand seat and not the centre seat?
Or did it not make any difference where they sat?
Logged
Jim
Night Gator
Senior Member
Posts: 37440
Cape Canaveral Spaceport
Liked: 21451
Likes Given: 428
Re: Skylab crew positions
«
Reply #1 on:
03/08/2009 10:55 pm »
You did that assume thing
Logged
Ben E
Full Member
Posts: 1132
Liked: 100
Likes Given: 9
Re: Skylab crew positions
«
Reply #2 on:
03/09/2009 08:06 am »
Point taken. One of these days, I'll learn!
Logged
madscientist197
Regular
Full Member
Posts: 1014
Liked: 6
Likes Given: 0
Re: Skylab crew positions
«
Reply #3 on:
03/11/2009 08:16 am »
In Collin's book he mentioned that Buzz took the centre seat during launch because he had originally trained as a CMP and already was prepared for that role. They swapped back later before docking/transposition. I'm pretty sure the position did matter -- there's no way that Apollo would have duplicated that many controls.
Logged
John
Skylon
Full Member
Posts: 431
Liked: 20
Likes Given: 7
Re: Skylab crew positions
«
Reply #4 on:
03/13/2009 06:39 pm »
Quote from: Jim on 03/08/2009 10:55 pm
You did that assume thing
That really doesn't answer a legitimate question.
I'm very surprised that on the Skylab flights, the Science Pilot flew center seat. Especially as the PLT was a far more experienced pilot than the Science Pilot. Could this have just been some cross-training?
I remember reading in "Deke!" that there was some discussion of flying two science-pilots per mission, which would have necessitated the Science Pilot flying center-seat, but Slayton didn't think they were ready for that, and wanted to stick with a CDR and PLT to keep experienced trouble shooters, namely professional pilots, aboard.
Logged
Print
Pages: [
1
]
Go Up
Tags:
Forums
»
General Discussion
»
Historical Spaceflight
»
Skylab crew positions
Advertisement
Advertisement
Tweets by NASASpaceflight
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
0