Lighter remnants trailed behind in the Indian Ocean, probably covering less ocean than the 4,000-mile stretch officials had predicted. Tonight, however, based on the pilot's report, NORAD fixed the impact area of Skylab's heaviest remnants as 31.8 degrees south, 124.4 degrees east, near the town of Kalgoorlie. The North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), which tracks falling space objects, initially estimated the splashdown of Skylab's heaviest parts at 42.87 degrees south, 105.97 degrees east, about 700 miles off the southwest coast of Australia. (EDT), officials continued to try to reconstruct the exact breakup area.

'Skylab is on the Earth somewhere.'ДЄs the day wore on after Skylab's entry into the atmosphere about 12:32 p.m. 'The surprise is over,' said Skylab flight director Charles Harlan at a news conference in tne Manned Space Flight Center. giving off sparks with a long trail' broke up, it was over the land. The pilot said he believed that as the 'very bright orange ball. It remained intact in the atmosphere far longer than had it predicted before breaking up into what a man in Perth described as a 'quite spectacular' spray of hundred or so glowing pieces.ДЄn airline pilot flying at 28,000 feet told National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials here that Skylab turned 'a distinct blue glow, then orangy red, you could see the breakup of it start to occur.' Skylab's end came on its 34,981st orbit, a path which, to the unconcealed joy of NASA officials, took it over vast stretches of ocean and minimal numbers of people.Д«ut the giant satellite did not die without a fight. Malcolm Fraser, saying that he had instructed the State Department to 'offer any assistance you may need.' President Carter sent a message of concern to Australian Prime Minister J. There were uncomfirmed reports that some debris had been found. Some of the heavier fragments apparently came down in southwest Australia, but by late today space agency officials had received no word of injury of damage. While its return had spawned much humor and some real fear, most of the 6-year-old, 77-ton orbiting laboratory simply fell into the sea. Skylab, the biggest thing man has ever sent to space, returned to Earth today in an apparently harmless shower of debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.

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