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Airborne Acoustic Observations of the OSIRIS-REx Reentry

Description: 

Natural and artificial objects arriving from interplanetary space create powerful acoustic arrivals that contain information about its speed and shape. In the past, these sound waves were captured solely on ground-based recorders. However, elevated platforms may be able to sample elements of the acoustic wavefield unavailable on the Earth’s surface, such as a cleaner source signal, transmission through elevated wave guides (e. g. the ‘atmoSOFAR’ channel), and reflections from the ground. Here we report acoustic arrivals from the 24 September 2023 reentry of the OSIRIS-REx space capsule recorded on balloon-borne platforms ranging from 1.7 to nearly 20 km above ground level. We compare the amplitude and frequency content of the balloon-recorded signals to those captured on nearby ground stations. We investigate the propagation path from the source to the elevated receiver. Finally, we assess the origin and properties of suspected ground reflections observed after the main arrival passed. Our results have implications for the detection and characterization of incoming objects on Earth and other planets such as Venus. The reflection signatures also shed light on the properties of lateral sound transmission through surface-bound acoustic ducts. SNL is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.

Session: The OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule Re-entry: Geophysical Observations - I

Type: Oral

Date: 5/1/2024

Presentation Time: 05:30 PM (local time)

Presenting Author: Daniel

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: Yes

Authors