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Seismoacoustic Tracking and Characterisation of Space Debris Re-entries

Description: 

Space debris and uncontrolled re-entries of orbiting spacecraft into the Earth's atmosphere are problems of growing international concern. Debris poses a hazard both on the ground and in the air, and poses environmental risks as well. Radar and visible light cameras are most commonly used to track re-entry events, but come with many challenges including limited coverage and restrictions on data releases.

In this work, I will demonstrate that existing seismic networks are able to track and characterise the shockwaves and acoustic signals produced by re-entering debris. These waveforms can be used to determine the re-entering object's speed, trajectory, size, and potentially whether any fragments may have reached the ground. Case studies will include recent re-entries over California and Louisiana.

I will also discuss the potential for near-real-time 'rapid response' trajectory reconstruction and possible synergies with visible light observations where these are recorded.

Session: Data-driven and Computational Characterization of Non-earthquake Seismoacoustic Sources [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/16/2025

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Benjamin

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Poster Number: 74

Authors