1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: show that shines a light on the ups and downs 4 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:18,240 Speaker 1: of everyday history. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're talking 5 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: about the historic rise and precipitous fall of the Skylab 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: orbital outpost. The day was July eleventh, nineteen seventy nine. 7 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: The burning wreckage of America's first space station crashed into 8 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:47,639 Speaker 1: the Indian Ocean and across western Australia. NASA's Skylab missions 9 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 1: helped bridge the gap between the agency's Apollo and Space 10 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: Shuttle programs. In fact, the Skylab space station was launched 11 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy three, just one year after the last 12 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:04,480 Speaker 1: Loun landing mission. The station itself was a heavily modified 13 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:08,760 Speaker 1: third stage of a Saturn five moon rocket. The cylindrical 14 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: spacecraft measured roughly one hundred feet in length and just 15 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: over twenty feet in diameter. It weighed more than eighty 16 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 1: tons and carried an assortment of scientific equipment, as well 17 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: as enough oxygen, food, and water to sustain a three 18 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: person crew for an extended period of time. NASA planned 19 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: for three Skylab missions. Altogether, three different crews of three 20 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: astronauts each, with the first one launching only eleven days 21 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: after Skylab itself. One of the primary goals of the 22 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: missions was to gauge the biological effects of long term 23 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: habitation in space. To that end, the first crew spent 24 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: twenty eight days in space, the second crew more than 25 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: double that at fifty nine days, and the final crew 26 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: spent eighty four days in orger a record that wasn't 27 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: broken by an American astronaut until two decades later. Of course, 28 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 1: the astronauts didn't spend all that time monitoring their own vitals. 29 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: The three crews logged a combined total of more than 30 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: seven hundred hours observing the Sun and brought home nearly 31 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: two hundred thousand solar pictures for further study. The first crew, however, 32 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: had to spend much of its time doing repair work, 33 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: as Skylab's solar array had been badly damaged during launch. Luckily, 34 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: the crew was able to install a new solar shield 35 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: to keep the station from overheating, and then performed several 36 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: spacewalks to make additional fixes. Each crew traveled to and 37 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: from Skylab in a modified Apollo Command and Service module, 38 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: which was launched into space atop a Saturn one B rocket. 39 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: When the third crew departed Skylab in February of nineteen 40 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: seventy four, they fully expected an their crew to come 41 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: take their place. The station still had plenty of supplies 42 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: on board, and NASA had already begun planning for a 43 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: fourth mission. However, the agency wanted to wait for its 44 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: new fleet of space shuttles to be ready so that 45 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: it could use one to boost Skylab into a higher 46 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: orbit while delivering a new crew of astronauts at the 47 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: same time. NASA scientists predicted that Skylab could continue circling 48 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: the planet for another nine years before atmospheric drag finally 49 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,359 Speaker 1: slowed its motion enough for it to fall back to Earth. 50 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: That would have given NASA plenty of time to prep 51 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: the space shuttle and the next crew, but that's not 52 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: how things shook out. Instead, five years after the last 53 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: Skylab mission, the space station's orbit began to decay much 54 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: earlier than expected. A recent uptick in solar activity had 55 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: heated the outer layers of Earth's atmosphere, increasing the friction 56 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: between the air molecules and the surface of Skylab. This 57 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: increased the amount of drag on the station, causing it 58 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: to lose altitude at an accelerated rate, And so it 59 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: was that on July eleventh, nineteen seventy nine, Skylab re 60 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 1: entered Earth's atmosphere, a full four years ahead of schedule. Thankfully, 61 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 1: NASA had seen the descent coming and was able to 62 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: access the computers aboard Skylab and use them to change 63 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: the station's trajectory in order to minimize damage. The ground 64 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: crew tried to position the station so that its debris 65 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 1: would land in a patch of the Atlantic Ocean roughly 66 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: eight hundred miles south of Cape Town, South Africa. Once again, though, 67 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: things didn't go according to plan. Although Skylab plunged through 68 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: the air at about three hundred and fifty miles per hour, 69 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: the house sized station wound up staying intact a lot 70 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,919 Speaker 1: longer than NASA had anticipated. As a result, it didn't 71 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,159 Speaker 1: break apart until it was over the Indian Ocean, on 72 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 1: a direct collision course with Western Australia. The station's fiery 73 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: demise lit up the sky that night with what witnesses 74 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: described as a spectacular fireworks display. Huge chunks of debris 75 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 1: were scattered across fields and small towns, but fortunately no 76 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: injuries were reported. Skylab itself literally crashed and burned, but 77 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 1: the Skylab program was still successful in the long run. 78 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: It showed that astronauts could live and work in space 79 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:35,720 Speaker 1: for prolonged periods of time without adverse effects, a discovery 80 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 1: that led directly to the International Space Station, which has 81 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: been continuously occupied by rotating crews since November of two thousand. 82 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: As for the remains of Skylab, much of its debris 83 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:52,599 Speaker 1: is now housed in museums and private collections across Western Australia, 84 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: but a few pieces are supposedly still out there, waiting 85 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: to be found by some intrepid treasure hunter. Not everyone 86 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: considers space junk to be treasure. Take the small Australian 87 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: town of Esperance, for example. They were so put off 88 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: by all the wreckage that landed in their jurisdiction that 89 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: they hit the US State Department with a four hundred 90 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: dollars fine for littering to its eternal shame. The American 91 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: government refused to foot the bill, but in two thousand 92 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:26,719 Speaker 1: and nine, California DJ Scott Barley finally righted this wrong 93 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: by collecting donations from his listeners and cutting the town 94 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: a check Esperance wasn't the only one to profit from 95 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: the fall of Skylab. The event made headlines all over 96 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 1: the globe, and in the lead up, many entrepreneurs were 97 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: quick to capitalize on the public's excitement and its anxiety. 98 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: Some restaurants began mixing up Skylab cocktails, claiming that if 99 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: you drank one, you wouldn't know what hit you. Others 100 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:58,359 Speaker 1: cashed in through novelty gifts like the Skylab Protective Helmet, 101 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,840 Speaker 1: a paper hat that promised to do absolutely no good 102 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 1: at all should Skylab actually fall on you. But it 103 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: was the tiny town of Balladonia, which had a population 104 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: of just nine people at the time, that benefited the 105 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 1: most from the whole affair. After its local hotel was 106 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: pelted with bits of Skylab, President Jimmy Carter personally called 107 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: up the owners to offer his apologies. The ordeal thrust 108 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: Balladonia onto the world stage, and it became a popular 109 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: tourist destination in the months and years that followed. The 110 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: Australian Christian rock group Family even wrote a song about it, 111 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: titled The Ballad of Balladonia Night. The single became that 112 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: year's summer anthem in Australia. So to bring this episode 113 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 1: in for a happy landing, here's a clip from your 114 00:07:47,720 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: new favorite song, Everybody balladon mister h Start Up. That's 115 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: why I L came. I'm Gay, Blues Gay, and hopefully 116 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 117 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep up with 118 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and 119 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have any 120 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: comments or suggestions, feel free to send them my way 121 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: by writing to this day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks 122 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: to Kasby Bias for producing the show, and thanks to 123 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: you for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow 124 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: for another day in History class.