Sonic booms can protect Earth from dangerous space junk

Scientists have discovered that sonic booms from falling space debris can be tracked using existing earthquake monitoring networks, offering a new way to locate crash sites and understand how objects break apart during atmospheric reentry. Researchers demonstrated this technique by analyzing data from over 120 seismometers that detected sonic booms from a Chinese spacecraft module that fell over California in April 2024. This method provides near real-time tracking of dangerous space junk, helping protect aircraft and communities from hazardous debris.