1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: The people of Esperance, Australia will be the first to 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:09,639 Speaker 1: tell you that not a whole lot happens there. It's 3 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: a quiet, farming and fishing town where the sheep usually 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: outnumber the people. But in the chilly early hours of 5 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: July twelfth, nineteen seventy nine, at around midnight, a handful 6 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: of locals crane their necks up to the sky and 7 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,319 Speaker 1: see something they've never seen before, that no one has 8 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: ever seen before, not in Esperance, not anywhere. A pyrotechnics 9 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: show among the stars, full of flashing, pulsating lights and 10 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: sounds that reverberate so deeply you can feel it in 11 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: your shoes. 12 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 2: It was like it was like fireworks back it was 13 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 2: the noise that came with it. 14 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: Joe Norman is among those gathered on a high bluff 15 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: over looking Esperance Bay. She was barely seventeen years old 16 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: then witnessing what looks like the apocalypse. Another observer would 17 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: later describe it as a train. 18 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 3: Falling out of the sky while on fire. That was thought, 19 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:19,639 Speaker 3: Oh my god, why laud of than thunder? 20 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 2: And that's when everyone we all thought, oh, holly crap, 21 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 2: this is actually going to fall on us. You felt 22 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 2: like you could just reach up and catch it. That's 23 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 2: how close it felt. 24 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: What Joe sees that night is a spectacle that the 25 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: entire world has been anticipating, with a combination of amusement 26 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: and fear, the fall of sky Lab, a space station 27 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: nine stories tall and weighing over seventy seven tons, plummeting 28 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: from its orbit and re entering the Earth's atmosphere even 29 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: after burning up hundreds or even thousands of flaming metal 30 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: chunks rained down upon the planet. What Joe doesn't know 31 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: is that this shower of superheated space debris will soon 32 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: steer her life in a very unexpected direction. Because, for once, 33 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: Chicken Little is right. The sky really is falling. This 34 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: is very special episodes and iHeart original podcast. I'm your host, 35 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 1: Danish Schwartz, and this is Skylab is Falling. 36 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 4: Welcome back to very special episodes. I'm Jason English, She's 37 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 4: Danish Swartz. Hey, he's Aaron Burnette. 38 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 5: Yoh. 39 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 4: And now, as someone who lived through the New Jersey 40 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 4: drone invasion last year, I can't imagine what would happen 41 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 4: if what happened in nineteen seventy nine. Where to happen? Today. 42 00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: But imagine what it would be like on Twitter remember 43 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,079 Speaker 1: the peak yes Twitter era, like back when Twitter was good. 44 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: Imagine how much fun that day would be on Twitter 45 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: if everyone thought that they might be about to be 46 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: crushed by a piece of a space station. 47 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 6: Also the amount of like because we have all the 48 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 6: cameras on phones now, not a video we would have 49 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 6: seen of this because all the descriptions sound incredible. I 50 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 6: would love to see this film from all these different locations. 51 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 4: Now, no spoilers, but there is a fun newspaper subplot 52 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 4: coming to this one. We love our legacy media stories here, 53 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 4: so look out for that. 54 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 6: Yes, respect. 55 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: I mean this really is sort of like All the 56 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: President's Men if it involved a publicity scheme, if instead 57 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: of investigating Watergate it was just having fun. 58 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 6: I loved that there was like a branded stunt pr 59 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 6: event like we would recognize today, but so pure, so quaint. 60 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 4: This is either gonna kill you or you're gonna win 61 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 4: a cash prize. 62 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 3: But either way it's gonna be fun. 63 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 6: Yeah. 64 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: If the US was intoxicated by the accomplishments of space 65 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: travel in the nineteen sixties, by the late nineteen seventies, 66 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: it had hit the hangover stage. Up until this point, 67 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: the space race had brought mostly positive things, bragging rights, 68 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:25,160 Speaker 1: technological advancements, moon boots, and even the Dustbuster. But now 69 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: our ambitions were threatening to drop a two ton lead 70 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: lined vault on someone's head, a piece of space junk 71 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 1: traveling so fast that NASA estimated it could create a 72 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: hole in the ground one hundred feet deep. The vault 73 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: was part of Skylab, an ambitious two point six billion 74 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: dollar galactic laboratory launched by NASA in nineteen seventy three. 75 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:55,600 Speaker 3: In addition to. 76 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: Experiments, it was also a chance to see how humans 77 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:04,279 Speaker 1: would respond to extended stays in outer space, where travel 78 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: could be measured in weeks instead of days. Think of 79 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,599 Speaker 1: it as a kind of cosmic motel six. 80 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 5: We used it as a platform for designing our future 81 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 5: space stations as well. That was the first time we 82 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 5: learned that if you're up there for about thirty days 83 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 5: or ninety days, actually is that healthy young man would 84 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 5: start to lose bone mass. This calcium. 85 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: Doctor Bonnie Dunbar is a professor of aerospace engineering as 86 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: well as an astronaut with several Shuttle missions under her belt. 87 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: Growing up on a cattle ranch, in Washington, Doctor Dunbar 88 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:47,360 Speaker 1: didn't have a TV, just one radio station, books, and 89 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: the wide skies to stir her imagination. As a kid, 90 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:56,360 Speaker 1: she saw the Soviet satellite Sputnik flicker among the stars 91 00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,839 Speaker 1: and was hooked. Doctor Dunbar went on to join NASA. 92 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,919 Speaker 1: To her, Skylab was a major step forward in space exploration. 93 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 3: It was the bridge. 94 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: Between the Apollo missions which put humans on the Moon, 95 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:16,039 Speaker 1: and the Space Shuttle missions, which sent cruise up for 96 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:22,280 Speaker 1: advanced explorations. Skylab informed those later missions, giving us what 97 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: remains some of the most valuable information about how we 98 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: endure zero gravity. 99 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,559 Speaker 3: To NASA, Skylab. 100 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 1: Could help us go beyond, way beyond where humankind had 101 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: ever been. 102 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 5: We could study technology and people in a weightless environment 103 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:43,039 Speaker 5: and understand it well enough to eventually send people not 104 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 5: just to the Moon for a long periods of time, 105 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 5: but to Mars. 106 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: Though it was the site of three successful missions, by 107 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,840 Speaker 1: the mid nineteen seventies, Skylab was becoming a headache. It 108 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: was damaged during launch when part of its heat shield 109 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: tore off, compromising its solar energy capacity and making it 110 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: prone to overheating. Repairs were made, though one solar wing 111 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: was permanently lost. Lacking thrusters, it couldn't propel itself. Skylab 112 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: began drifting out of orbit faster than anticipated. It was 113 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: NASA's version of a jinky car, one without brakes, that 114 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:29,240 Speaker 1: just keeps rolling downhill. 115 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 5: Because when you're in ers orbit, you're actually orbit continues 116 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 5: to degrade because it's not a perfect vacuum. There's a 117 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 5: few i call them random molecules out there that create drag, 118 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 5: and as you increase the drag, you decrease velocity, and 119 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 5: when you decrease velocity, you start to fall back into 120 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 5: the Earth. So that's what Skylab was doing. 121 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 1: Unable to take control of Skylab, NASA did the next 122 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: best thing it could. 123 00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 3: It powered Skylab down. 124 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: With Skylab essentially in extended stay parking for the next 125 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: several years, talk at NASA turned to how to deal 126 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: with its inevitable re entry. For a time that seemed 127 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: a long way off. Some estimates pegged it as late 128 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: as nineteen eighty three, but Skylab kept descending. By nineteen 129 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: seventy eight, it became clear that Skylab was coming home, 130 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: which led to a series of well, let's call it 131 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: creative problem solving proposal. One nuke Skylab into oblivion, rendering 132 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 1: it harmless. A bad idea for any number of reasons, 133 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: the major one being that launching a nuke, even at 134 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:54,359 Speaker 1: our own technology, was in gross violation of international treaties. 135 00:08:55,080 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 1: Proposal to send an F fifteen jet controlled by computer 136 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: into a supersonic climb to eighty thousand feet high enough 137 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: to launch a non nuclear rocket. Would that have been awesome? Yeah, sure, 138 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: but also pointless since you'd simply be creating more debris 139 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: falling onto Earth. 140 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 3: Proposal three, use another. 141 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: Vessel like the Space Shuttle to reboost it back into 142 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: orbit like a dog nudging a ball with its nose, 143 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: but NASA budget issues had hampered the Shuttle's schedule. A 144 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: joint rescue mission with the Soviet Union was discussed, but 145 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:47,080 Speaker 1: there simply wasn't enough time to match Russia's spacetech with Americas. 146 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:50,079 Speaker 1: It's sort of like trying to fit a lego in 147 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: with a megablox. That left just one other option, except 148 00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 1: Skylab was coming back and do everything possible to mitigate 149 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 1: the damage. So in late nineteen seventy eight, the agency 150 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: announced they would permit Skylab to fall back to Earth. 151 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:14,080 Speaker 1: To the lay person hearing that a seventy seven ton 152 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:19,840 Speaker 1: projectile would smack into Earth prompts some questions. The first, 153 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:25,200 Speaker 1: are we doomed? NASA crunched some numbers. While there were 154 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,560 Speaker 1: plenty of variables, it looked as though there would be 155 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:32,680 Speaker 1: a one in seven chance at least one piece of 156 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 1: Skylab would land on a major city, a one in 157 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: one hundred and fifty two chance of it striking a 158 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:44,559 Speaker 1: random person, and a one in six hundred billion chance 159 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: of a piece of the debris striking any one specific person. 160 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,080 Speaker 1: Even so, the US government went so far as to 161 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: make plans for mass casualties out. 162 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 3: Of an abundance of caution. 163 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:02,559 Speaker 1: While some were justifiably on nerved by those numbers, others 164 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: had a different reaction. They turned sky Labs return into 165 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 1: a party. As word spread of Skylab's looming arrival, some 166 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 1: painted bullseyes on their roofs. A giant baseball glove was 167 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:22,960 Speaker 1: constructed in Cape Canaveral in Missouri. A one time fallout 168 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 1: shelter with Cold War canned food was converted to a 169 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 1: falling space Lab refuge. A couple in India named their 170 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: newborn you guessed it, Skylab, And of course there was 171 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: merch t shirts and survival kits for sale In Times Square, 172 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: a New York eatery offered free meals for life to 173 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,440 Speaker 1: anyone struck, presuming they lived. 174 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:49,080 Speaker 3: At least one. 175 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: Person hosted a sky Lab party with cocktails and protective helmets. 176 00:11:54,800 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: It was doomsday with a mostly smiley face. While the 177 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:05,240 Speaker 1: national media breathlessly covered this story, in San Francisco, the 178 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: Examiner and the Chronicle saw an opening. Two rival dailies, 179 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: desperate for readers, seized on Skylab for a late Space 180 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: age publicity stunt. 181 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 7: San Francisco was reminiscent of the dying embers of good 182 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,319 Speaker 7: old style competitive newspapering. 183 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: That's Jeff Jarvis, currently a visiting professor at Stonybrook University. 184 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 1: Jeff is the author of The Gutenberg Parentheses, a look 185 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,120 Speaker 1: at how storytelling has evolved from the early days of 186 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 1: print to digital media. Back in the late nineteen seventies, 187 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: though Jeff was a twenty three year old just getting 188 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 1: started in the newspaper game, it was not going well. 189 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 7: I had gone to a Frank Sinatric benefit concert. I 190 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 7: didn't think it was so hot. I said so on 191 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 7: my column, And the next night or the night after, 192 00:12:56,520 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 7: at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, California's stopped 193 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:04,560 Speaker 7: singing my Way to call me a bum. I wasn't 194 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:06,679 Speaker 7: there to witness this momentous event. I heard about it 195 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 7: on the radio the next morning to Dannure crash my car. 196 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:13,680 Speaker 1: When not being heckled by Frank Sinatra, the rookie columnist 197 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 1: at the San Francisco Examiner was in hot competition with 198 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:21,319 Speaker 1: legendary gossip writer Herb Kane at the Chronicle. 199 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 7: He was king of the town. Every bit of gossip 200 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 7: went to him, and I was the fifty seventh sacrificial 201 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,320 Speaker 7: lamb in the Examiner against Herb Caane. 202 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: Known as mister San Francisco. The future Pulitzer Prize winning 203 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: Kane was generally beloved. Heck, even the Zodiac Killer once 204 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: called herbout by name in one of the letters he 205 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: sent to the Chronicle. No serial murderers were writing to Jeff, 206 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 1: which meant he had to come up with material on 207 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: his own. 208 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:51,959 Speaker 7: I was going to be the young guy who was 209 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:54,160 Speaker 7: going to write a column six days a week, but 210 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,040 Speaker 7: all the gossip went to Herb. I only got the droppings, 211 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 7: and so I ended up having to find ways to 212 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,959 Speaker 7: write features six days a week, fifteen hundred words a day. 213 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 1: The Examiner and the Chronicle shared a composing room, printing press, 214 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: even a Sunday paper, but they were still mortal enemies. 215 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:16,720 Speaker 1: Every headline, every penny in the corner newsbox mattered. So 216 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: when Skylab fever hit the front pages, the Chronicle fired 217 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 1: the first shot. 218 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 7: And so one day I went out in the composing 219 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 7: room and I saw that the Chronicle a week hence 220 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 7: was going to offer Skylab insurance to its readers. You 221 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:35,640 Speaker 7: had to die, you had to lose a limb, but 222 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 7: if you did, the Chronicle would pay off. I came 223 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 7: back in the newsroom and I told my colleagues what 224 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 7: they were doing, and we immediately started brainstorming about what 225 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 7: we could do in response. The key here was that 226 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 7: the Chronicle's offer was going to be about a week 227 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 7: in the future. We decided we could rush and we 228 00:14:58,160 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 7: could get something in sooner. 229 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: The Chronicle promised one hundred thousand dollars to anyone maimed 230 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: by Skylab, presuming you were a Chronicle subscriber. Jeff's editors 231 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:13,840 Speaker 1: wanted to top it by essentially saying you didn't need 232 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: to be dismembered to win, and. 233 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 7: We scrashed our heads and figured out what we could do, 234 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 7: and one of us suggested that, well, maybe we could 235 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 7: give it a reward if somebody actually delivered a piece 236 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 7: of Skylab to the office. 237 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: Their idea skip the insurance offer a bounty ten thousand 238 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: dollars to the first person who could bring an actual 239 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: piece of Skylab to the newsroom within seventy. 240 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 3: Two hours of its crash. 241 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:43,240 Speaker 1: That's the equivalent of roughly forty five thousand dollars today, 242 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:47,000 Speaker 1: a lot of money and a real risky stunt for 243 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: the Examiner, but the papers editor didn't think he'd ever 244 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 1: have to pay out. 245 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 7: I was tasked with calling NASA, and NASA absolutely assured 246 00:15:57,480 --> 00:15:59,400 Speaker 7: me that this was going to fall in the ocean, 247 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 7: no problem. 248 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: Unless someone was willing to wade into the ocean. It 249 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 1: sounded like the paper would get a whole lot of 250 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: publicity for very little risk. The Examiner went all in, 251 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 1: setting up a Skylab desk in the lobby. 252 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 7: The publicity person, who at the time was married to 253 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 7: the publisher, put up a big check over it and 254 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,160 Speaker 7: Skylab and put somebody, some poor soul I don't remember who, 255 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 7: into an alien costume. 256 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: Almost immediately people began fishing for the reward. One guy 257 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 1: presented a nerf ball with an obvious coat of silver 258 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 1: spray paint. Someone mailed Jeff a tire iron with a 259 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: handwritten label saying it was Skylab. 260 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 3: Part three three, four, four, five six six six' TWO. 261 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 1: A a woman phoned saying she found a piece of 262 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 1: yellow metal in her. Yard, maybe she, said with a 263 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,160 Speaker 1: trace of hope in her, voice it had fallen Off. 264 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:03,120 Speaker 1: Skylab early attracting ranksters and would be fraudsters was a, 265 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:07,959 Speaker 1: feature not a. Bug the examiner wanted people talking about the, 266 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: contest and it also Gave jeff plenty of fodder for his. 267 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 7: Column this was the last gasp of a good old 268 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 7: fashioned competitive newspaper. Fight it was nothing but, fun but 269 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 7: we had fun with. 270 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:26,120 Speaker 1: It While jeff kept filing columns on the increasing, Weirdness 271 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 1: washington made. PLANS nasa urged people to duck into basements 272 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:36,840 Speaker 1: at the first strange sound across the. Country medical, teams, 273 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 1: firefighters even lawyers were on. Standby NASA's crash team was 274 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: ready to chase the world's biggest piece of litter wherever it. 275 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:52,439 Speaker 1: Fell but this wasn't just. Cleanup it was. History no 276 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:56,199 Speaker 1: one had ever watched a space station come home in, 277 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:06,600 Speaker 1: flames and now it was on its way. Fast skylab 278 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:10,119 Speaker 1: has long been idling two hundred and seventy miles Above, 279 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:14,639 Speaker 1: earth but By june of nineteen seventy, nine it's down 280 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:18,160 Speaker 1: to one hundred and sixty three miles and growing closer 281 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: by the. Day by this, point Doctor dunbar is a 282 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:23,119 Speaker 1: flight controller AT. 283 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 3: Nasa she's tasked with. 284 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:29,639 Speaker 1: Monitoring skylab from a small control room At Johnson Space 285 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 1: center In, Houston. 286 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:32,840 Speaker 3: Texas for Doctor. 287 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: Dunbar and her, colleagues this accelerating descent means keeping track 288 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,119 Speaker 1: of its movement around the, clock which is. Tricky on, 289 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,520 Speaker 1: AVERAGE nasa can connect To skylab for only a few 290 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: minutes out of every hour and a. 291 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:49,760 Speaker 3: Half during those brief, contacts. 292 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 1: The station would report on its vital systems AND nasa 293 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:57,680 Speaker 1: could give it instructions in engineering, terms ask how it's, 294 00:18:57,720 --> 00:18:58,960 Speaker 1: doing and record the. 295 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:02,320 Speaker 5: Answers we were seven days on and then two days, 296 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:05,560 Speaker 5: off and we would rotate, shifts so one shift you 297 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 5: might be on from eight to, four and the next 298 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,879 Speaker 5: shift from four to, midnight and then so. Forth so 299 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:16,200 Speaker 5: for nine MONTHS i was in this rotating shift flight controller. 300 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 5: Mode make SURE i could sleep during the, DAY i 301 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:21,320 Speaker 5: put tinfoil on my bedroom. 302 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:25,360 Speaker 1: Windows keep in mind Doctor dunbar and her colleagues are 303 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: trying to influence the station's movement while it's hundreds of 304 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: miles up in, space all this using nineteen seventy nine. 305 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 1: Technology match conversions are mostly done on. 306 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:44,959 Speaker 3: Paper there's no sophisticated, hardware just the world's highest stakes video. 307 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:49,960 Speaker 5: Game if you think of a, pencil if you've got 308 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:53,959 Speaker 5: the pointing in facing the direction it's, going there's less surface, 309 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 5: area there less. Drag so if you could change the 310 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 5: drag A skylab by changing it's, orientation then you could 311 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:05,560 Speaker 5: kind of manage its altitude if you. Will but you 312 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 5: had to balance that against the fact that its power 313 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:11,640 Speaker 5: source was its solar rays get pointed to the, sun, 314 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 5: Right so if you always pointed the solar rays to The, 315 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,760 Speaker 5: sun then you might not be in the best attitude 316 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:19,919 Speaker 5: for managing the. 317 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 3: Drag that was. 318 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 1: The trick balance both Or skylab drops. Sooner at, FIRST 319 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:31,040 Speaker 1: nasa predicted the orbiter would break up over an, ocean 320 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: but as the hours tick, down new calculations show something. 321 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:41,760 Speaker 1: Alarming it might pass Over, canada maybe even main The 322 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:46,080 Speaker 1: skylab team has to make decisions on the, fly digging 323 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 1: up old tech manuals that hadn't been opened in. 324 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:53,360 Speaker 5: Years we didn't know this was still all learning environment 325 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 5: for us first time the orbited big mass like. 326 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,880 Speaker 3: This then comes the final trans. 327 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:07,720 Speaker 1: Mission skylab was Entering earth's atmosphere speed hundreds of miles an, 328 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:14,119 Speaker 1: hour destination still. Unknown THE faa AND norads scramble to 329 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: keep tabs on signals going, offline not because of technical, 330 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 1: problems but because systems are literally being. 331 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,679 Speaker 5: Incinerated and then you hear people, saying, WELL i just 332 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:27,600 Speaker 5: lost data from this solar ray that type of, thing 333 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:30,679 Speaker 5: so you know where it. Is you've GOT dar round radar. 334 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 5: Contact you're watching to see what systems are, disappearing because 335 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 5: they're actually disintegrating in the year's. 336 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:42,600 Speaker 1: Atmosphere the mammoth station begins burning up in a multimillion 337 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 1: dollar fireworks. Show it's windmill, shaped solar wings torn away 338 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:51,919 Speaker 1: like the wings of a. Fly the telescope mount rips, 339 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,720 Speaker 1: free then the control, center the docking, port each piece 340 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 1: vanishing in flames within minutes seventy seven and tons of 341 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:06,880 Speaker 1: meadow becomes light and, smoke falling Toward. Earth it's enough 342 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:11,919 Speaker 1: to make even the calculating methodical crew AT nasa feel. 343 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 5: MOVED i actually saw the last pass from the roof 344 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:20,200 Speaker 5: of The Emission Control, center but it went Over houston 345 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 5: and so it was starting. 346 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:23,640 Speaker 7: To get a little. 347 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 5: Bright you, know all of the airspace had been cleared 348 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 5: around the globe on its orbit. Trajectory AND i will 349 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 5: tell you that it was a little bit emotional in 350 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:33,399 Speaker 5: that last. 351 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 1: Past there was a sense of melancholy that Maybe skylab 352 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:40,400 Speaker 1: wasn't the only thing winding. 353 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,879 Speaker 5: Down there was a feeling there, that, boys is this the. 354 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 5: End we've canceled The apollo program prematurely because they thought 355 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 5: the public wasn't, interested and so there was a, sense, 356 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:54,520 Speaker 5: BOY i hope this is not the. 357 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: End half a world away From bonnie and her, crew 358 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: teen year Old Joe norman and her, boyfriend truck Driver Stan, 359 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,920 Speaker 1: thornton drive to a hilltop over the bay In esperance 360 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,360 Speaker 1: in Western australia and join a crowd staring up at 361 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:13,399 Speaker 1: the Cold july. 362 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 2: Sky quite a group of us all decided to go 363 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 2: up there and wait to see if we could see, 364 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 2: anything not thinking that we ever, would but we sure. 365 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 2: Did there were so many people. 366 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 3: Up they. 367 00:23:26,359 --> 00:23:32,680 Speaker 1: Whiting around Midnight australian time On july, eleventh nineteen seventy, 368 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:38,360 Speaker 1: nine houses begin to, shake windows, rattle and horses. 369 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 3: Scamper frightened dogs circle. 370 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:47,160 Speaker 1: And howl As skylab makes its unlikely. ENTRANCE nasa had 371 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:51,240 Speaker 1: originally put the odds of Hitting australia at just two, 372 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:54,400 Speaker 1: percent But skylab was nothing if not. 373 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 3: Unpredictable, yeah it was so. 374 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 2: Beautiful it was really really, APRECY i, guess not like 375 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 2: a shooting, star because there were millions of millions of 376 00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 2: little pieces breaking up. Here was very. 377 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:12,439 Speaker 1: Spectacular from the, hilltop they watched as giant balls of 378 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 1: fire turned to smaller balls of, fire as white light turns, 379 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 1: red as pieces of a two point six billion dollar 380 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: engineering marvel burn into. ASH nasa later estimates that about 381 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: five hundred pieces fell To, earth from tiny chunks to 382 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 1: an oxygen tank the size of a. Truck by twelve 383 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:40,439 Speaker 1: thirty seven, am it's. Over the sky goes dark. Again 384 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:44,879 Speaker 1: joe And stan drive back down the, hill thinking that 385 00:24:45,119 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: was more or less the end of. 386 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:47,800 Speaker 3: It after we. 387 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:51,320 Speaker 2: All calm down and, thought, okay that's it, now and 388 00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:53,840 Speaker 2: then we all just dissipated went. 389 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 3: HOME i went home to Mar. 390 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:57,119 Speaker 2: Place stan went high to. 391 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 1: His the next, Morning Stan thornton walks into his backyard 392 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 1: to find dozens of charred bits scattered in the, grass 393 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,679 Speaker 1: about coin, sized just a couple inches or less in. 394 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 1: Diameter stan knows that whatever this, is it just got. 395 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,200 Speaker 1: Here the yard had been cleaned the day. 396 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:22,159 Speaker 2: Before thy were, roll you, know very excited because on 397 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 2: the back law AND i had found the little pieces of, 398 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,920 Speaker 2: chocoal WHICH i don't know how many they were, altogether 399 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 2: BECAUSE i didn't say it before they collected. 400 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 1: It all local officials confirm debris has landed Near. Esperance radio 401 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:42,200 Speaker 1: stations buzz with rumors of wreckage in the. Desert could 402 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:47,520 Speaker 1: these pieces really be From? Skylab stan is only sure 403 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:50,919 Speaker 1: about one. Thing he has to go to, work so 404 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:54,200 Speaker 1: a friend volunteers to take the chunks to a chemist 405 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:59,720 Speaker 1: for further. Investigation the good news the pieces aren't radio, 406 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:02,960 Speaker 1: act but that was about all he could, say not 407 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 1: knowing what kind of MATERIALS nasa used to Construct. Skylab 408 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:13,440 Speaker 1: searching for more, Information stan contexts local emergency. 409 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:15,160 Speaker 3: Services they don't. 410 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:17,360 Speaker 1: Have a lot of advice to offer, either but they 411 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:21,719 Speaker 1: do Tell stan that a newspaper In San francisco is 412 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:26,040 Speaker 1: offering ten thousand dollars for a real piece of. Skylab 413 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 1: stan delivers beer for a. Living ten grand could be 414 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:34,880 Speaker 1: more than a year's, salary but he's never been out 415 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:38,639 Speaker 1: of the country. Before he now has what amounts to 416 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:43,120 Speaker 1: ten thousand dollars in casino chips in his proverbial, pocket 417 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,440 Speaker 1: but he has to get to a casino window thousands 418 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:48,080 Speaker 1: of miles. 419 00:26:48,200 --> 00:26:50,280 Speaker 3: Away stan is in. 420 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:55,399 Speaker 1: LUCK a local radio station helps him get an expedited passport, 421 00:26:55,560 --> 00:27:00,439 Speaker 1: overnight and by mourning stands on a Swanky quantus plane 422 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:04,280 Speaker 1: with a bag full of burnt metal and a toothbrush he. 423 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:06,600 Speaker 3: Thought of got. Whisked the way was very for. 424 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 2: Real you just kept thinking what they actually sent A 425 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:14,159 Speaker 2: lea jet down From. Perth we hadn't even heard of 426 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 2: what A lea jet. 427 00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:19,480 Speaker 1: Was back In San, francisco The examiner office is buzzing 428 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:24,480 Speaker 1: with news About ausy treasure hunters combing for. Scraps some 429 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 1: are reportedly headed To San francisco to claim the, reward 430 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 1: But stan's early start has him leading the. 431 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 3: Pack when he lands. 432 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:38,520 Speaker 1: In San, francisco he breathes his first sigh of. Relief 433 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:44,120 Speaker 1: he's the first and only person to. Show reporters swarm 434 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:49,119 Speaker 1: around the, shaggy wide eyed teenager a limo courtesy Of 435 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: Quantas whisks stand to the offices of The, examiner where 436 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:58,000 Speaker 1: he hands over a brown leather shaving bag full of 437 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:01,800 Speaker 1: what could be worth more than gold by the. Ounce 438 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:05,679 Speaker 1: jeff gets his first look at the source of all the. 439 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 3: Hysteria he's not. 440 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:15,000 Speaker 7: Impressed they looked like charcoal. Briquettes after doing the steak that, tracks. 441 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 2: Yes jeff looked like it's the charcoal from the. Barbecue, 442 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 2: really and we did joke about, it saying It i'll 443 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 2: do any. Abbit the next or ibis just throwing eat 444 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:25,520 Speaker 2: chocoal over. 445 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:30,359 Speaker 1: The P, still this wasn't a beauty contest for rocks 446 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:35,359 Speaker 1: with a theatrical. Flourish the twelve lumps are moved to 447 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 1: an armored suitcase and whisked off to A nasa lab In, 448 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:44,840 Speaker 1: Huntsville alabama for extensive testing that's going to take some. 449 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:48,719 Speaker 1: Time and now it's up To jeff and the examiner 450 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 1: to chaperon the, kid and. 451 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:53,280 Speaker 7: So there's going to be a waiting period while that goes. 452 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:58,360 Speaker 7: On and so we realized that we had in our 453 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:02,280 Speaker 7: care a teenager who was far away from, home no 454 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 7: escort at. All he came with at most a gym. 455 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 7: Bag he had no clothes to speak, of certainly no, 456 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:13,280 Speaker 7: suitcase and was it a very unfamiliar. 457 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 1: Environment stan being a fish out of water is good For, 458 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: jeff whose primary job was to ratchet up suspense for his. 459 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 3: Readers no easy. 460 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 1: Feat stan is a nice, guy you, all just not 461 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:28,280 Speaker 1: what you'd call. 462 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:32,440 Speaker 7: Charismatic he didn't ever have much to say AND i, 463 00:29:32,560 --> 00:29:35,560 Speaker 7: had well the whole time we're waiting for the artifact 464 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 7: to be verified BY, NASA i had to get daily 465 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 7: columns out of. Him stan was, delightful wonderful, kid but 466 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:46,520 Speaker 7: the longest sentences he tended to use were up and. 467 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:50,520 Speaker 1: Nope jeff takes him to see The San Jose earthquakes 468 00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:54,600 Speaker 1: pro soccer team he. Loathed stan on a helicopter tour 469 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:58,560 Speaker 1: Of San. Francisco Mayor Dianne feinstein gives him. 470 00:29:58,400 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 3: The key to the. 471 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:04,040 Speaker 1: City he has his first Big mac from. McDonald's stan 472 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: even gets to hold a monkey being used in the 473 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 1: filming of a. Movie jeff takes him to see a movie. 474 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:14,680 Speaker 1: Too of, course It's, moonraker. 475 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:16,520 Speaker 7: And he went along with. It he was get, Along, 476 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:19,920 Speaker 7: Stan he was, great but it Was, milkin a dead, 477 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 7: cow trying to get any quotes out of him to 478 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 7: fill a. Column, Well stan did this, today And stan 479 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 7: had nothing to, Say and that's kind of HOW i 480 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 7: had to live that week or. 481 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 1: So While stan calls his, parents who worry that he 482 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 1: might be the victim of random violence in THE, Us 483 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 1: jeff keeps CALLING, nasa hoping for any. 484 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:41,840 Speaker 3: Update stan Likes James. 485 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:45,400 Speaker 1: Bond he didn't mind the, monkey but what he really 486 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,960 Speaker 1: wants is to get his money and go. 487 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:52,760 Speaker 7: HOME i was Calling, Huntsville alabama to find out is 488 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:54,520 Speaker 7: this thing certified? Yet what's taking so? 489 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 1: Long after a week of gamma rays AND x rays 490 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:02,240 Speaker 1: and treating the barbecue briquettes like the charred scrolls Of, 491 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: Vesuvius jeff's office phone, RINGS nasa finally has. 492 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:14,719 Speaker 7: NEWS nasa was scratching its collective head over What stan had, 493 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 7: brought because it had, carbon that is to, say something 494 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 7: from a life, form And skylob was, Metal skylight was plastic. 495 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:26,000 Speaker 3: Carbon that was. 496 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: Weird no astronauts had been on Board skylab when it 497 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:35,040 Speaker 1: plummeted To, earth and presumably no aliens, either though you 498 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:39,440 Speaker 1: can probably find a YouTube video Saying, Otherwise jeff didn't 499 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 1: Believe stan was a grifter trying to pass off a 500 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:46,640 Speaker 1: painted nerf. Ball he was an, earnest quiet kid who 501 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:47,840 Speaker 1: had traveled a long. 502 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:53,120 Speaker 7: Way, no our worst fear was that what If stan 503 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 7: had been taken by. Somebody stan was an innocent but 504 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:02,480 Speaker 7: what if somebody had Slipped stan Counterfeit skylab? 505 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 3: Bits so what DID nasa? 506 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:07,760 Speaker 7: Think there was one theory for a time that this 507 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 7: might have been astronaut. 508 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: Poop, FORTUNATELY nasa ran more tests and soon they Called 509 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 1: jeff with better. News stan had not traveled seven thousand 510 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: miles to deliver a stool. 511 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 7: Sample they finally concluded that there was balsa wood insulation In, 512 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:36,720 Speaker 7: skylab and that that's what these black pieces. Were they were, 513 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:38,680 Speaker 7: Inside so they've been kind of the last to burn. 514 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: Up, yes this two point six billion dollar space station 515 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:44,760 Speaker 1: used wood for thermal. 516 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 3: Insulation even, better. 517 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,680 Speaker 1: It was a type of wood that didn't grow In, 518 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:53,760 Speaker 1: australia meaning it couldn't have come from anywhere but. 519 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 7: Space AND i don't THINK nasa was necessarily one hundred 520 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 7: percent scientific, shore but at that POINT i think they 521 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:03,600 Speaker 7: were sick of, it and our guy In huntspital was 522 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:05,280 Speaker 7: sick of, it and we were ready to move, on 523 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:07,760 Speaker 7: and SO nasa, said, yeah we certify. 524 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 1: It, so after days of, waiting The San Francisco examiner 525 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 1: Cuts Stan thornton a check for ten thousand dollars cash in. 526 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:20,320 Speaker 1: Hand stan wants to make a bee line back To, 527 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 1: esperans but the contagious weirdness Of skylab isn't quite. Over 528 00:33:28,320 --> 00:33:33,280 Speaker 1: while idling In San, Francisco stan Meets Dennis, sader a 529 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 1: furniture salesman From philly with grand. Aspirations sader Pitches stan 530 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 1: a tour Across america to show off his space. Debris 531 00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:48,280 Speaker 1: he'd even Fly stan's parents, over along with one other special. 532 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 2: GUEST a telegram crime Which i've still got SAYING i 533 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:56,560 Speaker 2: would like to Invite may and his mom and dad 534 00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 2: to come over to the Stikesa stan was missing. 535 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 1: Us all for his role as space, Ambassador stan would 536 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:09,680 Speaker 1: get ten thousand dollars in home furnishings and a chance 537 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:14,280 Speaker 1: to earn a little scratch through additional. ENDORSEMENTS a spokesperson 538 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:19,359 Speaker 1: For quantus speculates That stan's fifteen minutes could net him 539 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:24,760 Speaker 1: over one hundred thousand dollars of nineteen seventy nine, cash 540 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:25,839 Speaker 1: all this for a. 541 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:28,920 Speaker 3: Quiet australian with space coal in his. 542 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:34,840 Speaker 1: Pockets stan agrees and soon finds himself In philadelphia With 543 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:38,360 Speaker 1: joe posing in a shop window with some end tables 544 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:42,120 Speaker 1: in What sadder thought would be a fun photoshoot for his. 545 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:46,840 Speaker 2: Store at one stage we were standing in the front 546 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:52,960 Speaker 2: of the, window settings made lying on a, shiff staying the, 547 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:56,719 Speaker 2: model you, know just showing off some of the. Furniture 548 00:34:57,440 --> 00:34:59,200 Speaker 2: it was very, weird very. 549 00:34:59,239 --> 00:35:04,080 Speaker 1: Weird stan hops on his overnight celebrity touring THE us 550 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:07,839 Speaker 1: with his, mom dad And joe by his. Side they meet, 551 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:11,560 Speaker 1: mayors appear on talk, shows even visit The White, house 552 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:14,440 Speaker 1: Though President Jimmy carter couldn't make. 553 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:16,400 Speaker 3: It, no The president didn't mate with. 554 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:20,160 Speaker 2: Us so we got a packet of each peanuts instead 555 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:23,600 Speaker 2: and an ASHTRAY i, think and a couple of spoons 556 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 2: to say that we've visited The White. House well NOW 557 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:29,960 Speaker 2: i think back AND i, think oh my, god that was. 558 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:35,200 Speaker 1: Huge they visit The Smithsonian air And Space museum In 559 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:40,600 Speaker 1: washington and A nasa facility In. Virginia stan sometimes dolling 560 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:44,080 Speaker 1: out bits Of skylab like a sprinkling of magic. Dust 561 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 1: at The National air And space, museum they see a 562 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:53,240 Speaker 1: full scale backup Of skylab's orbital workshop at a towering 563 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:57,480 Speaker 1: forty eight Feet it puts the whole excursion in. Perspective 564 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:03,279 Speaker 1: skylab had been. Abstracted it's tangible, pieces little more than 565 00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:08,239 Speaker 1: some peculiar looking bits of. Call but, this this was 566 00:36:08,280 --> 00:36:10,439 Speaker 1: what had actually come from. 567 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:14,040 Speaker 2: Space it actually gave me the he be joutis BECAUSE 568 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:18,400 Speaker 2: i kept, thinking oh my, god one of the wings 569 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:22,719 Speaker 2: does not even sit in a four story, building and 570 00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:25,520 Speaker 2: this is what has fallen on us. All AND i 571 00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:28,480 Speaker 2: did remember, SAYING i, said oh my, god if people 572 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:32,600 Speaker 2: knew the size of, this we would never have gone 573 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,680 Speaker 2: and stood out and watched it go, over. 574 00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 3: Thinking you, know nothing's going to happen to. 575 00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:43,719 Speaker 1: Us finally, Stands patience runs out his status as spaceboy, 576 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:46,640 Speaker 1: tiresome and the whole group leaves for. 577 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:50,120 Speaker 2: Home we were over it by, then because the cameras 578 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:53,880 Speaker 2: would just follow you, everywhere and everything you said was 579 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:56,160 Speaker 2: up on SOME tv. 580 00:36:56,360 --> 00:37:01,560 Speaker 3: Show, yeah it was quite. Bizarre back, Home stan buys 581 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:02,839 Speaker 3: a car and a little. 582 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:05,839 Speaker 1: Land he dules out some of his winnings to his 583 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,960 Speaker 1: parents and his Friend, ray. 584 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:10,400 Speaker 3: Who carried The skylab bits to the. 585 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:14,120 Speaker 1: Chemist When Jeff jarvis followed up With stan a year. 586 00:37:14,280 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 1: Later he had about two thousand dollars. Left, unfortunately the 587 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:20,879 Speaker 1: promised home furnishings never. 588 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:24,520 Speaker 2: Arrived we picked it all, Out we went to the 589 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:29,440 Speaker 2: warehouse and he let us cheat whatever we. Wanted they, said, yep, 590 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:32,719 Speaker 2: yep we'll ship that out to. You but we never 591 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:35,080 Speaker 2: heard from. Me and after where lesh think he was 592 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:36,200 Speaker 2: a bit of a cornar drift. 593 00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:40,480 Speaker 1: Myself jeff reached out To satyr on their behalf to 594 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:43,520 Speaker 1: ask about the, goods only to find that he was 595 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:45,520 Speaker 1: heavily in debt and had fled. 596 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:48,799 Speaker 7: Town, well the problem for the furniture guy was that 597 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:51,239 Speaker 7: he thought that he was going to get, barrels wasn't 598 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:53,359 Speaker 7: he just like we. Did but the story was over 599 00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:56,440 Speaker 7: Once stan got the. Check he won the ten thousand. 600 00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:59,640 Speaker 7: Dollars kid makes. Good that was the end of the. 601 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:03,640 Speaker 7: Narrative and in our attention deficit disorder industry that we 602 00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:06,200 Speaker 7: call media and, journalism everybody was on to the next. 603 00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:08,799 Speaker 7: Story it was, forgotten so he didn't get out of 604 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:09,799 Speaker 7: it what he had. 605 00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:15,800 Speaker 1: Anticipated so after all that did The skylab contest actually 606 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:17,799 Speaker 1: result in more readers of The. 607 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:22,759 Speaker 7: Examiner this was a good old time publicity, trick but 608 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:26,080 Speaker 7: it made no real business. Difference it gave everybody a 609 00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:27,879 Speaker 7: lot of fun for a few. 610 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:32,840 Speaker 1: Weeks as for the famous chronicle Columnist, Irbcane Jeff jarvis's 611 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:36,360 Speaker 1: arch Newspaper, nemesis he was on vacation for most of 612 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:39,440 Speaker 1: That june And, july missing virtually all of the. Excitement 613 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:50,520 Speaker 1: so why Did skylab capture so much of the public's. 614 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:54,680 Speaker 1: Imagination the closest thing we can compare it to is 615 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:58,920 Speaker 1: a horror. Movie when we watch a teenager getting chased 616 00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:02,319 Speaker 1: through the woods by a psychotic, killer we feel a 617 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:06,040 Speaker 1: kind of relief that were not, Them that things might be, 618 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:09,560 Speaker 1: bad but Not machetti through the neck. Bad it's a 619 00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:12,760 Speaker 1: way to grapple with our fear of death without getting 620 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:16,600 Speaker 1: too close to. It Maybe skylab was a kind of 621 00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:22,239 Speaker 1: rehearsal for. Doomsday something enormous was about to fall from the, 622 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:26,040 Speaker 1: sky and for a moment we lost the illusion of 623 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:29,600 Speaker 1: control and got a small taste of what it might 624 00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:34,720 Speaker 1: feel like to face the end of. Everything some people 625 00:39:34,840 --> 00:39:38,920 Speaker 1: coped by making light of, it painting targets on roofs 626 00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:39,600 Speaker 1: and selling. 627 00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:41,880 Speaker 3: Helmets others fled for. 628 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:45,960 Speaker 1: Cover we probably got curious how it would feel to 629 00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:50,840 Speaker 1: face our, mortality and it turned out to be mostly. 630 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:55,400 Speaker 7: Okay american, news especially in the days since radio AND, 631 00:39:55,480 --> 00:40:01,040 Speaker 7: tv but also in, print has long been about the hot. 632 00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:05,760 Speaker 7: Story we think that The internet invented trending and. Memes, 633 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 7: no that's been the essence of journalism and news since 634 00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:13,960 Speaker 7: the steam powered press and scale came to. Press so 635 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:16,480 Speaker 7: this was a story that was bound to get. Attention 636 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:20,479 Speaker 7: thank god it. Didn't the satellite didn't kill anybody or injure, 637 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,319 Speaker 7: anybody so we could have fun with. It couldn't we 638 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:26,040 Speaker 7: use more stories like that these? DAYS i think we. 639 00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:30,160 Speaker 1: Could we too long for the days when the worst 640 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:34,719 Speaker 1: thing imaginable was merely a superheated. 641 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:35,600 Speaker 3: Led vault falling on. 642 00:40:35,719 --> 00:40:39,560 Speaker 1: Us of, course we wanted to talk To Stan, thornton 643 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:42,840 Speaker 1: but he's as media a verse as he was in 644 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:47,440 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy nine and didn't respond to our. Requests Jeff 645 00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: jarvis tried to reach him a few years. Ago he 646 00:40:50,719 --> 00:40:53,959 Speaker 1: finally made a connection via. Email was he doing? 647 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:58,239 Speaker 3: Well? Yep anything else to, say, Nope. 648 00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:00,480 Speaker 7: So it was good to just say are you? Doing 649 00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:03,360 Speaker 7: and great to talk after all these. Years AS i 650 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:06,440 Speaker 7: was glad to close the loop there. 651 00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:07,440 Speaker 3: As For joe And. 652 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:11,680 Speaker 1: Stan they kept dating after getting back To, australia got 653 00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:17,200 Speaker 1: engaged at, eighteen and then drifted. Apart joe eventually moved To, 654 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,279 Speaker 1: perth got, married and pursued a career in. 655 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 3: Education she keeps. 656 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:26,840 Speaker 1: A small chunk Of, skylab a souvenir of when the sky. 657 00:41:27,200 --> 00:41:30,840 Speaker 2: Fell WHEN i think Of, skylab the thing THAT i 658 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:35,760 Speaker 2: remember seeing, it the actual witnessing of, it was something 659 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:38,439 Speaker 2: out of this world THAT i don't think anyone will 660 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:41,640 Speaker 2: ever experience, again BECAUSE i would never let it happen. 661 00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:44,680 Speaker 2: Again it would be blown out of the atmosphere before 662 00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:45,200 Speaker 2: it could even. 663 00:41:45,239 --> 00:41:50,640 Speaker 1: Happen there, are of, course conspiracy theories THAT nasa had 664 00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:55,840 Speaker 1: intentionally Steered skylab over soil In australia so they could 665 00:41:55,880 --> 00:42:00,600 Speaker 1: retrieve whatever pieces they. COULD a pretty lousy can inspirasee 666 00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:03,080 Speaker 1: as a lot of it landed in The Indian. Ocean 667 00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:08,560 Speaker 1: other scraps wound up in a Local esperans. Museum another 668 00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:12,919 Speaker 1: in Nearby Calgarly Town, hall was so big at over 669 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:16,920 Speaker 1: six feet, long workers had to take the front doors 670 00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:20,000 Speaker 1: off to get it. Inside the mayor thought it would 671 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:23,759 Speaker 1: be good for. Tourism one piece even wound up on 672 00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:28,680 Speaker 1: stage at The Miss universe pageant In perth next To Donnie. 673 00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:34,919 Speaker 1: Osmond President carter did eventually acknowledge the inconvenience To, australia 674 00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:39,680 Speaker 1: apologizing to the Country's Prime minister in a nod of 675 00:42:39,719 --> 00:42:45,000 Speaker 1: the good humor Of. Australians In esperand's official FIND nasa 676 00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:49,920 Speaker 1: four hundred dollars for. Littering unlike the, examiner The Space 677 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:51,520 Speaker 1: agency never paid. 678 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:59,920 Speaker 4: Up SO i love stories where some random thing happens 679 00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:03,040 Speaker 4: and just changes the trajectory of someone's. Life and this 680 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:07,719 Speaker 4: the thing literally crashes Into stan's yard and look what. 681 00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:08,120 Speaker 6: He got to. 682 00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:11,320 Speaker 4: Do he got to go tour THE us win cash. 683 00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:13,440 Speaker 4: Prizes that's not a bad. 684 00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:16,879 Speaker 1: Day there's something sort of sweet about, this like main 685 00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:19,440 Speaker 1: character energy that like he gets to go on in 686 00:43:19,560 --> 00:43:22,960 Speaker 1: old fashioned like whistle stop tour and gets a little 687 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:25,560 Speaker 1: publicity and taste of glamour before he goes back to 688 00:43:25,600 --> 00:43:26,080 Speaker 1: his normal. 689 00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:28,560 Speaker 6: LIFE i mean, also for a beer truck driver In 690 00:43:28,560 --> 00:43:31,239 Speaker 6: australia to end up like all Over Ground america and 691 00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:33,600 Speaker 6: then getting swindled by a furniture, SALESMAN i just love. 692 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:35,239 Speaker 6: It it's such a pure story in that regard to. 693 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:38,640 Speaker 3: The villain of this. Story really is the furniture? Salesman 694 00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:39,239 Speaker 3: oh my. 695 00:43:39,280 --> 00:43:39,480 Speaker 5: God. 696 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:43,799 Speaker 6: Yes, also how About NASA's like cavalier attitude of, look, 697 00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:45,520 Speaker 6: look we have a one in seven chance we may 698 00:43:45,600 --> 00:43:47,640 Speaker 6: hit a city with, this but we're going for. It 699 00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:48,680 Speaker 6: we're gonna let this baby. 700 00:43:48,719 --> 00:43:52,040 Speaker 1: Cook it's really a classic case of we're gonna do 701 00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:52,520 Speaker 1: the best we. 702 00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:56,719 Speaker 6: Can, yeah, exactly did you guys have like a very 703 00:43:56,719 --> 00:43:59,080 Speaker 6: special character in this one because there's so many good. 704 00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:03,000 Speaker 1: ONES i Like, JOE i like that sort of, pragmatism 705 00:44:03,320 --> 00:44:06,440 Speaker 1: the love. Story, YES i do wish they ended up, 706 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:10,000 Speaker 1: together just for my own like mental. MOVIE i feel 707 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:12,520 Speaker 1: like in the movie they will unless it's all just 708 00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:15,360 Speaker 1: a bittersweet sort of saga about how nothing lasts and 709 00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:18,520 Speaker 1: everything falls, apart which kind of makes sense because you, 710 00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:21,480 Speaker 1: know the fame and publicity sort of dries, up so 711 00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:22,719 Speaker 1: maybe relationships do. 712 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:24,720 Speaker 3: Too this just made me. Sad. 713 00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:28,920 Speaker 6: Yeah, also there's such a cute. Couple you're really pulling for, them, like, 714 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:30,399 Speaker 6: OH i want these crazy kids to get. 715 00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:34,600 Speaker 4: Together my very special moment is when the town decides 716 00:44:34,640 --> 00:44:38,080 Speaker 4: to FIND nasa four hundred dollars for. LITTERING i think 717 00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:39,520 Speaker 4: that was a good stick it to. 718 00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:43,239 Speaker 6: Him, yes my very special moment has to be When Jeff, 719 00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:46,759 Speaker 6: jarvis our, journalist when he Has Frank sinatriz take time 720 00:44:46,800 --> 00:44:48,960 Speaker 6: out of Singing My way just to diss him and 721 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:50,640 Speaker 6: call him a. BUM i, mean how great is? That 722 00:44:50,840 --> 00:44:53,600 Speaker 6: you got bragging race Forever Frank sinatra stop the show. 723 00:44:53,640 --> 00:44:54,160 Speaker 5: Just to diss? 724 00:44:54,239 --> 00:44:56,600 Speaker 4: Me, saren did you happen to cast this? 725 00:44:56,640 --> 00:44:57,640 Speaker 2: ONE i. 726 00:44:57,719 --> 00:44:59,520 Speaker 6: DID i did my. BEST i went through AND i 727 00:44:59,520 --> 00:45:01,200 Speaker 6: thought about it and, like. OKAY i tried to get 728 00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:05,120 Speaker 6: An australian actress For Joe norman AND i went With Angori. 729 00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:08,200 Speaker 6: Rice she Played Ryan gosling's daughter In The Nice, guys 730 00:45:08,239 --> 00:45:10,480 Speaker 6: the movie With Russell, crowe SO i thought she'd be 731 00:45:10,520 --> 00:45:13,000 Speaker 6: good as a seventeen year old for her. BOYFRIEND i 732 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:15,000 Speaker 6: had a hard time with this, one so forgive me 733 00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:16,440 Speaker 6: IF i went with like a guy WHO i just 734 00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:18,520 Speaker 6: like and he's all over the news right, Now Jacob. 735 00:45:18,560 --> 00:45:20,719 Speaker 6: ELORDI i, thought you, know he can do, it. 736 00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:23,600 Speaker 3: RIGHT i Love Jacob. Elordi he's so. 737 00:45:23,800 --> 00:45:26,319 Speaker 6: Tall, Yeah and for some REASON i got the idea 738 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:28,680 Speaker 6: That dan was, tall SO i was, like, okay that 739 00:45:28,719 --> 00:45:31,319 Speaker 6: could be. Fun and then for Doctor bonnie Dunbar, right 740 00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:34,120 Speaker 6: the professor Of aerospace And, ENGINEERING i was, Like, okay 741 00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:36,480 Speaker 6: Maybe i've watched too many like sci fi, movies But 742 00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:39,520 Speaker 6: i'm Thinking Dakota. Johnson it just felt right. Now For Jeff, 743 00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:43,200 Speaker 6: jarvis the rookie calumnist at The San Francisco, EXAMINER i 744 00:45:43,239 --> 00:45:45,480 Speaker 6: Think i've mentioned the show Before masters Of. AIR i 745 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:48,600 Speaker 6: went with a different, Actor Anthony, boyle who he Played Harry, 746 00:45:48,600 --> 00:45:50,840 Speaker 6: crosby The navigator And masters Of. AIR i thought he 747 00:45:50,880 --> 00:45:52,680 Speaker 6: would be. Great he has that same type of. Energy 748 00:45:53,080 --> 00:45:57,000 Speaker 6: and For Dennis, sader the furniture salesman From, philly the 749 00:45:57,040 --> 00:46:01,000 Speaker 6: one with grand aspirations who was heavily in, DEBT i 750 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:03,879 Speaker 6: Liked Caleem, turner also From masters Of. AIR i thought 751 00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:05,800 Speaker 6: he would be. Good he can play smarmy but also 752 00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:07,759 Speaker 6: kind of, like oh, yeah he could be a con. 753 00:46:07,800 --> 00:46:08,840 Speaker 6: Man so there we. 754 00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:12,120 Speaker 3: Go, yeah he's. Great he's also, dating are engaged to 755 00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:15,000 Speaker 3: or married To Dua, lipa WHICH i just want to shout. Out, 756 00:46:15,280 --> 00:46:17,400 Speaker 3: yeah just a fun. Fact did you see how they? 757 00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:19,160 Speaker 6: Met they were reading the same book and they were 758 00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:21,440 Speaker 6: apparently on the same, Page like, yeah. 759 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:28,280 Speaker 4: Yeah very special episodes is made by some very special. 760 00:46:28,360 --> 00:46:32,040 Speaker 4: People today's episode was produced in partnership With school Of. 761 00:46:32,120 --> 00:46:36,040 Speaker 4: Humans the show is hosted By Danish, Schwartz Zaren, burnett 762 00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:40,840 Speaker 4: And Jason. English our senior producer Is Josh. Fisher today's 763 00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:44,520 Speaker 4: episode was written By Jake. Rosson our story editor Is 764 00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:48,399 Speaker 4: Virginia prescott From school Of. Humans producers Are Amelia brock 765 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:52,720 Speaker 4: And Etaily's. Perez editing And Sam design By Jonathan, Washington 766 00:46:53,120 --> 00:46:57,240 Speaker 4: mixing and mastering By Josh. Fisher research and fact checking 767 00:46:57,320 --> 00:47:02,560 Speaker 4: By Jake, Rosson Virginia prescott And Austin. Thompson original music 768 00:47:02,600 --> 00:47:06,920 Speaker 4: By alise, McCoy show logo By Lucy Quintonia social clips 769 00:47:06,920 --> 00:47:11,000 Speaker 4: By Yarberry. Media executive producers of today's episode Are Virginia 770 00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:15,720 Speaker 4: prescott And Jason. English Very Special episodes is a production 771 00:47:15,760 --> 00:47:17,040 Speaker 4: Of iHeart. Podcasts