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The fine has been paid [0]. A host for a radio station in US collected the money and paid the fine on NASAs behalf in 2019.

[0]https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/skylabs-remains

:)

Then, perhaps formally that was a donation, instead of a fine?

Por que no los dos?

With or without interest?

dude, just pay the fine and frame the ticket.

yup! fine was paid, just not by NASA.

Why wouldn't they just pay it? Would there be any negative consequences?

Not really for this one incident, but you don't really want to set a precedent if anything bigger ever happens. A spacefaring nation doesn't want to establish the idea it could owe financial liability for it to someone else.

> don't really want to set a precedent

Or sensibly they want to set the precedent that AU$400 is the appropriate amount!

Well Russia did eventually pay Canada the cleanup bill for the nuclear pollution of Kosmos-954. Precedent is already there.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954

And as the article says, states are already obligated to do so under the outer space treaty.

admission of guilt, liability

Indeed, and perhaps fear of precedent?