Scientists use sonic booms to track falling space junk

Scientists have discovered a novel method to track falling space junk by detecting sonic booms generated during atmospheric reentry. This new approach utilizes seismometers, typically used for earthquake detection, to identify the shock waves produced by objects exceeding the speed of sound. Researchers tested this method using data from China's Shenzhou-15 spacecraft reentry. The technique offers a potentially scalable and low-cost way to improve tracking accuracy, complementing existing radar and optical methods for monitoring space debris.