Apollo Organization and Development, 1969

In 1965, Disher was appointed Deputy Director of the Apollo Applications Program, which evolved into the Skylab program. Disher served as Deputy Director of Skylab until 1974, when he was promoted to Director of Advanced Programs, Manned Space Flight. Skylab, launched in 1973, was the first manned space station. Three visits to Skylab were completed in 1973-1974. All were made by three-man teams, who conducted a variety of scientific experiments on the station. Ironically, the greatest scientific achievements of Skylab resulted from a mishap that occurred during launch. In his 1984 paper, Disher explains that "the meteoroid shield ... failed and in turn damaged the large solar power arrays. On attaining orbit, [Skylab] was badly heating without its protective sunshade (a second function of the meteoroid shield) and was operating at only a fraction of its electric power." Scientific knowledge resulted from the repair process, which often required astronauts to work in zero gravity. This sub-series includes essays and magazine articles written by John Disher and others, correspondence, newspaper clippings, transcripts of press conferences and Skylab crew debriefings, pamphlets, reports, NASA publicity photos and financial information. These materials document the three Skylab missions, detailing both the missions themselves and the repair process. Other subjects include the Skylab Student Project, which NASA developed jointly with the National Science Teachers’ Association. The project was a contest among American high school students, who proposed experiments to conduct on Skylab. There are also folders on the proposed Apollo Telescope Mount and on a visit to NASA by Japanese officials in 1972.