Episode 413: Skylab Fallout

What this episode covers

Show Notes Episode 413: Skylab Fallout This week Host Dave Bledsoe orders up a mixed drink so powerful it can strip the varnish off the bar top. (The last time we saw him, he was passed out in a bathroom stall) On the show this week we turn back to July of 1979 when NASA’s abandoned space station plummeted back to Earth like a GOP Presidential Primary candidate’s poll numbers. (Looking at you Ron DeSantis) We are talking about Skylab!  Along the way we learn how Dave spent a Summer digging a hole in the ground because he thought his parents were on the edge of a divorce. (They weren’t, he was an idiot).  Then we dive right into the story of how some recycled rocket parts, repatriated Nazi and Congressional budget cuts led to America’s first space station! (Tacky Cardassian Fascist Eyesore!) We learn how a slapdash rushed program resulted in multiple repair missions and uncomfortable living conditions for the crew. (The body odor in that tube must have been unspeakable) And then how NASA just turned the lights off and left it to crash in a few years. (Did NOT see that coming!) We also learn how the world and America reacted to the looming threat of orbital armageddon! (Hard hats and t-shirts!)  Our Sponsor this week is Celestial Underwriters, the only insurance that covers falling space debris! We open the show with an English news report on the end of Skylab and close with Mike Offutt singing a little song about disaster!  Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/ The Show on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ www.whatthehellpodcast.com Give us your money on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast The Show Line: 347 687 9601 Closing Music:https://youtu.be/aRxn35Ketgk We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/ Citations Needed: Skylab: First U.S. space station https://www.space.com/19607-skylab.html The Forgotten Success of Skylab https://www.realclearhistory.com/historiat/2018/07/11/the_forgotten_success_of_skylab_334.html#:~:text=Skylab%20gathered%20tons%20of%20data,solar%20studies%20to%20this%20day. How to Shower in Space https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/how-shower-space#:~:text=Showering%20on%20the%20Skylab&text=Astronauts%20took%20cumbersome%20showers%20in,to%20a%20hose%20and%20showerhead. Skylab's Path a Diagonal Across U.S https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/07/07/skylabs-path-a-diagonal-across-us/c370933d-e4d7-41fa-b603-2230d44fe88d/ The Last Days Of Skylab https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1979/04/08/the-last-days-of-skylab/d0887927-a421-4a94-8609-160fad8d6150/ Skylab's Fiery Fall https://web.archive.org/web/20070213023709/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,920502,00.html Matter Wins Again Over Mind https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/05/26/matter-wins-again-over-mind/7ea4f819-8f94-4822-99b3-2f22b9cd5e6c/ A space station fell to Earth. An Australian boy brought it to San Francisco https://www.sfgate.com/sfhistory/article/the-skylab-race-to-san-francisco-18074888.php Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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