UARS - Where will it land???????

Not a very good picture, but who cares, it is going to crash anyway

With the re-entry (NASA name for crash landing) of UARS coming soon to a town to be named, I thought you mike like an update on my first experience with crashing satellites.

For those of us that were around in 1979 we remember the worry that the earth bound Skylab caused us all.  I was living in Kansas City at the time and I remember attending a couple of Skylab parties in which the patrons stood outside wearing whatever head protection they could come up with.  Also, large quantities of alcohol were involved to deaden the pain of getting hit by Skylab. 

You could actually see Skylab with the naked eye on two evenings in KC before the thing crashed.  It was one of the few fun events of the late 70’s as I remember.  Jimmy Carter was President, and gas prices were all the way up to $ .75 per gallon, along with long gas lines in some cities.

There were bets and rewards for guessing when and where Skylab would crash, as well as money to be earned if the thing actually hit you.

The thing finally crashed in Australia and they actually fined the United States $400 US for littering.  This is a fact.  The US did not pay until 30 years later when a radio show host raised the money and sent it to Australia.

Here is the drink recipe for the Skylab….it may help you with eventual crashing of UAR.

The SKYLAB drink

•1 oz. Brandy, apricot

•1 oz. Curacao, blue

•1 oz. Rum, white

•1 oz. Vodka

•1 splash Orange Juice

•1 oz. Pineapple Juice

•1 whole Cherries/Maraschinos

•1 slice Oranges

Mixing Instructions

Mix ingredients and pour over ice into a highball glass. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

 Really folks how about a better name for the satellite….like the OPoNum….you know the Obama Poll Numbers, they are crashing almost as fast as UARS.