Skylab

America’s first crewed space station – constructed from a modified, uncrewed Saturn V rocket upper stage (S-IVB) – was launched into low Earth orbit by NASA on 14 May 1973.

During its initial launch, a critical micrometeoroid shield tore away, jamming a vital solar array and ripping off another. The first three-man astronaut crew (Pete Conrad, Paul Weitz, and Joseph Kerwin) performed emergency spacewalks (EVAs) to deploy a makeshift parasol sunshield and free the jammed solar panel, saving the station from overheating and power death.

The massive laboratory hosted three separate three-man astronaut crews between 1973 and 1974.

The other two crews comprised Alan Bean, Owen Garriott, and Jack Lousma, who spent 59 days in orbit, and Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson, and William Pogue, who set a new record by staying in orbit for 84 days.

Skylab eventually fell back to Earth in a dramatic, uncontrolled atmospheric re-entry in July 1979.

No one knew exactly where the 77 tons of equipment would actually ‘land’, and on the evening of 11 July, revellers across the US painted target symbols on their roofs and held “The sky is falling” parties – but eventually went to bed disappointed.

The spacecraft, disintegrating upon re-entry, scattered debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.

Most of its molten metal went to a watery grave, but up to 1,000 pieces of the giant space station rained down on Australia, mostly in sparsely populated desert areas.

No injuries were reported, although many Australians were miffed about having their country used as a dumping ground for American space junk.

The Shire of Esperance in Western Australia famously issued NASA a $400 fine for littering, which remained unpaid for three decades until a US radio host raised the funds from his listeners to officially settle the debt in 2009.

After fears that Skylab might come to earth over Canada or the US, a last radio command was given, sending the 118-foot machine on a wobbling course to reduce the friction of the atmosphere and add 40 minutes and a few thousand miles to its life.

Britain’s last chance of being hit was over by 11:00 am, but a number of West Country holidaymakers stayed in caves until they were convinced Skylab was down safely.

Skylab proved that humans could live and work productively in space for months at a time, paving the functional way for the Space Shuttle program and the International Space Station (ISS).