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Originally Posted by News.com.au
HOW COMMON IS SPACE DEBRIS?
Debris from satellites, space launches and the International Space Station enters the atmosphere every few months, but only one person is known to have been hit by any of it: American woman Lottie Williams, who was struck but not injured by a falling piece of a US Delta II rocket while exercising in an Oklahoma park in 1997.
Most famously, America’s 77-tonne Skylab crashed through the atmosphere in 1979, spreading pieces of wreckage near the southwestern Australia city of Perth — and we (The Australians) fined the US $400 for littering.
Balladonia Hotel Motel - our story
Just like the local area, the Balladonia Hotel Motel also has an interesting past. Purchased by the Prendiville family in 1965, we've been going from strength to strength for more than 45 years. We started from pretty humble beginnings but we've grown into a well known tourist hub offering everything from four star accommodation through to backpacker's dongas.
Skylab and its fiery re-entry
Back in the late 1970's Balladonia was thrust into the international spotlight. In July, the world was captivated by the plight of a wayward NASA space station called Skylab. For weeks there was a lot of speculation about where it would come crashing to earth. NASA scientists predicted South Africa but in the early morning of July 13, 1979 they were proved wrong. On the centenary of Balladonia's settlement, fiery pieces of Skylab landed around the grounds of our hotel prompting a call by then president Jimmy Carter to apologise for the mess!