Sonic Booms and Seismic Waves Can Reveal Where Space Junk Crash-Lands
The New York Times • • science
Key Points:
- Large pieces of space junk re-entering Earth's atmosphere at hypersonic speeds create sonic booms similar to artificial meteors, posing significant risks upon impact.
- On April 2, 2024, the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft’s 3,300-pound orbital module unintentionally re-entered Earth's atmosphere, breaking apart over Southern California and creating a dramatic fireworks-like display.
- The module was not designed for re-entry, and its uncontrolled descent could have caused fatalities if it had hit an aircraft or populated area.
- Researchers at Johns Hopkins University used seismic sensors to detect the sonic booms from the module's breakup, allowing them to map its trajectory and predict where debris landed.
- This study, published in Science