Case file · Cosmic event
Skylab falls on Esperance
On 12 July 1979 (local time) debris from the US space station Skylab rained down around Esperance, Western Australia. The shire jokingly fined NASA A$400 for littering.
1979 CE · -33.86, 121.89 · status: official
The account
A teenager flew to San Francisco with debris to claim a newspaper's prize. The fine was finally paid in 2009 by an American radio host's listeners.