Nullary Sources

Here’s an old story from 2009 by Ian O’Neill for Discovery News:

That was when [California Highway Radio DJ Scott Barley] stumbled on the story about the re-entry of Skylab in 1979, when parts of NASA’s space station scattered over the Indian Ocean and a small corner of Western Australia.

As previously reported on Space Disco, the re-entry of Skylab came as quite a surprise for the residents of the Australian Shire of Esperance, and a light-hearted $400 fine was imposed on NASA for littering their territory. The debt was never paid.

After some further digging, Barley decided to call the Esperance mayor’s office to investigate whether or not the fine was still valid. After receiving the standard “no, NASA’s fine was written off years ago” message from Esperance, Barley was determined to make good on NASA’s debt, despite the fact it no longer existed.

So, using his reach on Highway Radio (you’d hear the DJ’s voice on the I15 when traveling to and from Las Vegas and LA, near the small city of Barstow), he appealed to his listeners to help pay NASA’s fine. Sure enough, he received a healthy response; listeners at home sent a couple of dollars and a local gym pledged that they’d match anyone that sends in a $50 donation, should someone feel generous. Sure enough with the help of small donations from listeners at home, truckers and businesses, the $400 was raised.