In 1979, the world watched as NASA’s 77-ton space station made its fiery plunge back to Earth. When Skylab broke apart over a sleepy Australian town, the falling debris set off a global media frenzy. This is the story of the night the sky actually fell — and the teenager who became an improbable hero.

*

On the Very Special Episodes podcast, Dana Schwartz and Zaron Burnett tell one incredible story each week. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Today's episode is a production of iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.