Anomaly Ledger
An overhead view of the Skylab Orbital Workshop in Earth orbit as photographed from the Skylab 4 Command and Service Modules (CSM) during the final…
An overhead view of the Skylab Orbital Workshop in Earth orbit as photographed from the Skylab 4 Command and Service Modules (CSM) during the final… — NASA (Crew of Skylab 4) · Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons) · Image source

Skylab Falls on Esperance, 11 July 1979

America's first space station came down early, scattering pieces across the Western Australian outback. The town of Esperance jokingly fined NASA $400 for littering. A US radio host paid it in 2009.

Added Last watched Cited

Sources NASA history, Skylab re-entry (July 1979); Shire of Esperance and Esperance Museum; Wikipedia, 'Skylab'

Skylab, the first US space station, was launched in 1973 and crewed three times. Unexpectedly high solar activity thickened the upper atmosphere and dragged it down sooner than planned. By 1979 the world was watching where a 77-tonne station would fall.

The fall

On 11 July 1979 controllers fired thrusters to aim it at the Indian Ocean. It broke up later than predicted, and a trail of fragments fell over the ocean and across a sparsely settled stretch of Western Australia, from near Esperance to Balladonia. Residents saw a spectacular fireball and heard sonic booms. Nobody was injured.

The fine

Esperance’s shire council, in good humour, issued NASA a $400 fine for littering. It went unpaid until 2009, when a US radio presenter raised the money from listeners. Pieces of Skylab, including a large oxygen tank, are on show at the Esperance Museum.

Ledger status

Marked cited. Map position is town level (Esperance).

Sources

Part of the World Ledger, batch 1. Original text; no images are used.

Evidence ledger

Each claim in this file, the source it rests on, and how well it holds up: 4 corroborated. What the labels mean.

ClaimSourceType · dateStatus
Skylab re-entered on 11 Jul 1979 and debris fell over the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.NASA; Wikipediaofficial · 1979corroborated
Debris landed near Esperance and Balladonia.NASA; Esperance Museummuseum / archive · 1979corroborated
The Shire of Esperance issued a $400 littering fine to NASA.Paid in 2009 by a US radio host.Shire of Esperance; Wikipediaofficial · 1979corroborated
Nobody was hurt.NASAofficial · 1979corroborated

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