Selling Skylab : dreams and challenges

Abstract

This thesis investigates the history of Skylab from political, social, and public relations perspectives. It focuses on the reasons to build Skylab, the difficulties Skylab met and most importantly how NASA overcame these difficulties by selling Skylab actively. The thesis argues that in order to maximize popular support and interest in Skylab to secure funding, NASA improved its public relations and sold Skylab according to public expectations. The first chapter explores how and why NASA selected Skylab as the program to succeed Apollo. Politically, NASA built Skylab for national prestige and to facilitate international cooperation. Socioeconomically and scientifically, Skylab provided employment opportunities and improved people’s daily life. These features of Skylab diverged from the competitive nature of the early space program, and gave NASA new justifications for continuing the space program. The second chapter focuses on budgetary limitations, and inadequate popular support and interest towards Skylab. Many voices from the public criticized the American space program for not bringing practical benefits. These voices urged the United States government to cut spending for space exploration, and channel the resources to areas such as public works and education instead. NASA was aware of these challenges and publicized Skylab accordingly. The final Chapter explores how NASA tailored its presentation of Skylab according to the interest of different stakeholders, so to assuage their concerns and gain their support for Skylab. NASA sold the space station by actively involving members from the public such as students and scientists in Skylab. Skylab became a project which was worth the high cost, and which could contribute practically to society.