NASA once owed $ 400 for 30 years to pay

Funny story about the debt of 400 USD that after 30 years NASA has just returned originated from Skylab automatic space station.

Unbelievable story about NASA's $ 400 debt in 30 years

The US Space and Aeronautics Agency - NASA - has a million-dollar operating budget each year, although the agency used to "incubate " a debt of only $ 400, but after 30 years they could pay it. . It all comes from NASA's first automated space station project: Skylab.

NASA's first automatic space station project: Skylab.

NASA launched the Skylab space station on May 14, 1973, followed by three Skylab crews working permanently on the station. Knowledge from Skylab played a decisive role in the development and construction of the International Space Station (ISS) later. This 85-ton heavy space station is assigned to perform three missions in space and is expected to return home a decade later.

However, Skylab returned earlier than expected due to the inability of scientists at the NASA Center. On July 11, 1979, Skylab plunged into the atmosphere to return to Earth. However, the experts have calculated that the rate of a person who was hit by debris from this satellite must be 1 in 600 billion, for urban areas, this rate is 1 in 100 thousand. Even, NASA has prepared seven special groups to assist any country with significant damage to the fragments .

Finally, the fragments of the satellites are determined to fall on Australia's Indian and Western oceans . Many other fragments were discovered in the towns of Perth, Esperance and Rawlinna. Fortunately, no one was injured because of the satellite fragments. Oddly enough, the Esperance town government decided to punish NASA for $ 400 for dumping garbage, causing environmental pollution when a townspeople found 24 debris in their backyard.

$ 400 debt in 30 years .

However, this fine was ignored by NASA for the next 30 years, making people in Esperance not happy at all. It was not until April 2009, when this story came to Scott Barley - a famous radio host in Austrila - and he personally investigated this unbelievably " scandalous " investigation, eventually Scott himself removed. 400 USD for NASA to pay the outstanding debt nearly half a century.