posted 07-09-2009 12:18 PM               

A little piece of Barstow will be present in the small town of Esperance, Australia, this weekend, thanks to local radio host Scott Barley.

Why, you ask?

This Saturday marks 30 years since the United States' first space station, Skylab, fell out of orbit in 1979 and reentered the atmosphere. When it did, chunks of debris lit up the sky over the Indian Ocean and plunged into the water.

Some sizable pieces, however, rained down on the small coastal town and racked up a $400 "litter" fee that the shire of Esperance billed to NASA.

But nobody's paid the fine -- until now.