Talk:Skylab

First versus only US space station

We've actually been over this before, but a talk page discussion is better than an edit war. We have someone who strongly objects to calling Skylab the "first" US space station rather than the "only" one. I don't believe "first" carries any implication of a second. For example, the New Horizons flyby of Pluto is almost universally called the "first" flyby of Pluto, despite the lack of any plans for a second one. In any case, a second US space station would make the use of "only" to describe Skylab both dated and inaccurate. The Wikipedia manual of style encourages text which will not become dated and which will not require future edits to remain correct. So I'm all for using "first" to describe Skylab. What do other people think? Fcrary (talk) 20:16, 12 September 2019 (UTC)

Support Additionally, the US has substantially contributed to the ISS instead of the cancelled Freedom station – while that definitely doesn't make the whole ISS American, a large part of it is actually US-made. --Zac67 (talk) 20:26, 12 September 2019 (UTC)

Support per above. Also, the 2nd sentence clarifies that Spacelab has been "only space station operated exclusively by the United States." -Fnlayson (talk) 20:42, 12 September 2019 (UTC)

I think WP:Don't feed the trolls; report them. In addition to the reasons given, we have a WP:RS which calls it such. JustinTime55 (talk) 21:36, 12 September 2019 (UTC)

This is really getting annoying. I'd love to report a troll, but I'm not sure how that would work with an IP editor. Is anyone familiar with the ways to partially lock down an article to prevent this sort of thing? I think there's a way to block edits from IP editors. I'm not overjoyed about invoking that, but I think that's what the mechanism is for. Fcrary (talk) 21:35, 6 November 2019 (UTC)

Absolutely, enough is enough. I believe we have to ask for protection so that only confirmed, signed editors can edit the article. I'm totally unfamiliar with the mechanics of how to request this. I also don't think it can hurt to report the IP as a troll. JustinTime55 (talk) 21:42, 6 November 2019 (UTC)

I just looked up the process and put in a request for semi-protection (no IP edits.) As far as reporting a troll, IP addresses can change every time someone logs in through a different server. That means I don't know how to point to the disruptive editor we're having trouble with. Fcrary (talk) 22:14, 6 November 2019 (UTC)

Space Shuttle

Why is there any mention of the Space Shuttle ?

To my knowledge, the two --- Skylab and the Shuttle --- were never intended to be contemporary, compatible, nor reliant upon each other.

As such, I think the intro to the second paragraph in the lede that mentions the Shuttle needs to be removed.

Thoughts? 2600:8800:784:8F00:C23F:D5FF:FEC4:D51D (talk) 22:19, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

That just shows your ignorance of history. Read the entire article, including section 12.1. The delay in getting the Shuttle flying until 1981 was totally unplanned; it was hoped it would fly by 1979 or 1980, and also the solar flares which caused Skylab to reenter prematurely were unforseen. It was hoped that an early Shuttle flight could be used to raise the altitude of Skylab and extend its life. This doesn't make them "reliant upon each other". The article is just fine the way it is.

Also, please read MOS:SUMMARY to see how we begin well-written articles with summary-style introductions. JustinTime55 (talk) 22:37, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

Reason for asymmetry

Should the article state more prominently why the solar panels are asymmetrical (the OWS was torn off during launch)? Cheers, cmɢʟee⎆τaʟκ 13:29, 27 October 2023 (UTC)

Discrepancy between deorbit dates

At the top of the article, it says deorbit happened on July 11, 1976, but further on, it says this happened January 15, 1975. Which is correct? (use ctrl+f to find the areas where it says deorbit) 2601:280:5383:5BA0:D0C0:F54D:56BF:3DC1 (talk) 22:21, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

"The S-II stage [...] made a controlled reentry on January 11, 1975", not Skylab itself. Read more of the text around the relevant text to better understand the context. Regards, -Fnlayson (talk) 22:53, 24 April 2025 (UTC)