Satellite Bingo

During the Cold War era, scientists launching satellites into space wanted to make sure their technology wouldn't fall into Russian hands when it came crashing back to earth at the end of its lifespan.  They seem to have not realized that 30 year old satellites have as much computing power as the average modern day calculator and that the debris would have the possibility of postdating the USSR.  In order to protect their falling satellites, the flight paths were engineered to re-enter over friendly territory.  However the fine engineers at Lockheed Martin didn't want them landing in suburbia, so they went searching for a more suitable friendly country to "land" their satellites.  With a population density of about 1 person per square kilometer, Australia, in particular Western Australia, seemed like a perfect target.  This means that 30 years on, having satellites come plunging down into the back paddock is not an unheard of event in Western Australia.  Instead of bemoaning hunks of metal falling from the sky, the Aussies  have found a way to turn it into their favorite pastime, gambling.

Satellite bingo begins in Western Australia whenever news reports cover a satellite that is beginning to fall out of orbit, and the approximate impact/debris area is announced.  The impact area is broken up into segments and for a few dollars you can buy into the office pool for one of these lots.  As the engineers and physicists out there will probably interject, a satellite will break up on re-entry, and pieces can land over a wide area.  This may present a problem for competitive gamblers, but in Australia this appeals to the sense of "a fair go".  With the satellites scattered over a wide area, the prize pool can be claimed by many people, as anyone with a piece of satellite on their section can claim to be a winner.