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NASA's Skylab $400 Littering Fine Paid By DJ

Posted by samzenpus on from the you-gonna-pick-that-up? dept.

astroengine writes "Space Disco speaks with a Californian radio DJ about his role in raising, and paying, NASA's 30-year old littering fine levied by a Western Australian town. Skylab parts fell on Esperance in 1979, but the space agency's refusal to pay $400 has resulted in an entertaining annual grudge. Now the Barstow radio DJ is guest of honor at this weekend's 30th anniversary celebrations in Oz and the two small towns at opposite ends of the Pacific will be twinned... all because Skylab had a messy re-entry..."

4 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Re:You know they need better budget managers when. by djdavetrouble · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have been to Barstow, a hot hot hot overgrown truck stop in the middle of California's central valley.
    This genius found a way to escape to australia for a bit, kudos to him.

    --
    music lover since 1969
  2. Littering? Really? by Blixinator · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Do they also give fines for littering to people who wreck their cars and leave debris on the side of the road? I don't mean the whole car, but stuff like smashed headlights and windows.

    --
    "The Y chromosome is genetic. The odds are very good that if you are male then your father was too." -Internet Commenter
  3. Re:Just wait! by system1111 · · Score: 5, Funny

    crashes has such negative connotations. NASA prefers you use the term terrestrial parking. Thanks!

  4. Hometown publicity by SwingMonkey · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I had to comment, just because it's pretty damn rare for my hometown to get a mention anywhere, let along on Slashdot :P This was a pretty big event at the time - Nasa had a team of people on the ground and were aksing for bits of debris to be bought in for analysis. My mother took a few pieces in and forgot about it, several months later they sent them back mounted on a nice wall plaque identifying which part of the space station it was from :)