What Goes Up Must Come Down. Well, Sometimes.

With the news of a large amount of space debris falling somewhere on Friday, or perhaps Saturday, like everyone else I began to wonder what I’d do if it fell on me. According to the news, if it falls somewhere near me I’m not to touch it because I might get hurt. I should also contact local law enforcement if I find any space debris.

If space junk falls where I live we might not know what it is. We’ll likely use it to build something, like a chicken coop.

Along with the potential problem I could be facing in a couple of days, I’m also remembering Sky Lab. A few friends and I had a great time when we found out certain adults were terrified of Sky Lab falling. With our teachers who feared Sky Lab, not much was accomplished in their classes that week. We just talked about Sky Lab.

Long before Sky Lab, I remember many animals being sent into space. I don’t remember any cats, but I did find an old photograph of cats preparing for space. As expected, the cats don’t have big smiles on their faces about a trip into space like I remember the chimpanzees having.

A lot of the animals returned and I can remember at least one being launched into space a second time. Others didn’t come back and the news referred to them as “lost.” I was very young but I remember thinking how different it would be to be a monkey lost at the park versus being a monkey lost in space.

In the end, I’ve concluded two things for sure. One, I hope all those animals lost in space have now been found. Two, I hope everyone will be safe from falling space junk. And, safe in general.

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