A space disaster that almost ended in a diplomatic conflict between the US and Australia

They revolve around the Earth thousands of artificial objects. According to the US Space Surveillance Network, there are almost 26,000 at the end of 2022. The number is increasing as nanosatellites will become more profitable, and private companies and government space agencies will launch new and modern devices. And all this results in space debris. Abandoned satellites and the remains of some cosmic catastrophe, in orbit until they disintegrate in the atmosphere. Although if they are large, they cross it and fall to the Earth.

Most of space debris which orbit the Earth or which fall are the product old projects are already forgotten. In other cases they are pieces and fragments of one thing or another. space accident. And, like accidents, they are unpredictable. But this does not mean that they are not looking for the culprits. Especially if the space fragment falls in a foreign country that has little or nothing to do with this fragment. And if we add legislation that said country may have regarding debris, whether space or not, the consequences could lead to diplomatic crisis.

In the summer of 2023, an object the size of a car appeared off the west coast of Australia. Everything indicated that it was space debris. Although he fell into the sea, the current carried him to land. The problem authorities faced was determining who owned the remains. If it were space technology, in other times it would be easy. Or was it USA or was from USSR. But today there are more countries with spacecraft: India, China, Japan, the European Union itself and many others.

This anecdote, which fortunately did not result in personal or property damage, is reminiscent of other cases of space debris generated by an accidental launch or directly from a spacecraft. space accident. One of them had diplomatic consequences in addition to economic losses. Fortunately, there were no casualties. But the fine had to be paid.

Skylab’s unexpected space accident

Skylab This was the first US space station. The USSR had an advantage and has already launched several in the past: Salyut-1 in 1971, DOS-2 in 1972, Salyut-2 in 1973 and Kosmos-557 in 1973. Therefore, NASA was forced to launch its own project in response to Soviet space achievements. Its name was Skylab, it was launched in 1973 and was in orbit until its launch. return to 1979.

To understand us, the space station is, to quote Wikipedia“an artificial structure intended for engage in activities in space (…). It differs from other manned spacecraft in the absence main propulsion system (…), and from landing craft. By design, space stations are designed to revolve around the earth” Currently we have the ISS, International Space Station. This space station is a joint project of the United States, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada. It was first launched into orbit in 1998 and, unless changes are made, its useful life will end in 2028.

But let’s go back to 1979. That year, Skylab’s orbit degraded until the American space station disintegrated in Earth’s atmosphere. Not at all. Since in the summer of 1979 it was discovered space debris in the Indian Ocean and Western Australia. The reason is that Skylab has been abandoned since 1974. After several manned flights, the space station was abandoned to its fate. Finally, it was decided that it would re-enter the atmosphere as planned. Although no one could foresee that this would lead to a cosmic catastrophe. Or rather, diplomatically.

Welcome to Esperance

In general, re-entries are usually done in such a way that possible debris falls into the atmosphere. uninhabited areas, usually in the ocean. But since this is not an exact science, a space disaster like the one that occurred in 1979 with the space debris that was Skylab could occur. Some remains that did not disintegrate ended up in rural Australia. There are no casualties or wounded. But just in case, NASA sent a team to investigate what happened.

The affected area is located in South Western Australia. In the Goldfields-Esperance area. Its main population is Hope, Esperanza in English, with a population of 14,000 inhabitants, living from tourism, agriculture and fishing. And in 1979, several NASA researchers visited them to check what had happened. And, by the way, to restore the remains of space debris from Skylab. However, a surprise awaited them: A$400 fine for littering in an uncontrolled manner in a protected area.

Book It’s just rocket scienceLucy Rogers is quoted in several articles recalling this anecdote. A joke that didn’t go any further because, as I already said, there were no deaths, injuries or material damage. But who knows if it would have led to a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Australia if it had gone further. Fortunately, Australian sense of humor in this case prevailed. According to a Marshall Space Flight Center public affairs officer who accompanied the Skylab research team, “Upon our arrival, the district president prepared parody of the ceremony in which a park service employee issued a fine to NASA for trash.”

What happened to the fine?

Although the fine was issued that way, Apparently they didn’t pay, since it was a joke on the part of the Esperance authorities about the visit of NASA employees. Because, of course, there were no casualties. However, the story of this cosmic catastrophe, which could have ended in a diplomatic crisis between the US and Australia, has several more chapters.

2009 marked the 30th anniversary of the re-entry of the Skylab space station. On the radio show DJ Scott Barley He asked his listeners to donate money to finally pay the fine. The requested amount was collected. However, although Mayor Esperanza downplayed the fine, invited Barley to visit the city and receive the keys to the city in a ceremony that we believe was as much of a mockery as the one held in 1979 with members of NASA.