A late-night sonic boom jolted residents across Los Angeles on Saturday, as a SpaceX Dragon capsule made its return to Earth.
McGee later admitted he wished he’d known about the sonic boom beforehand so he could have witnessed the capsule’s descent in the sky.
Just an hour before the sonic boom, SpaceX had posted that the Dragon would “announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom” prior to landing.
Recurring Sonic Booms Stir Debate Near Launch Sites Although Saturday night’s boom was unexpected for many in Los Angeles, sonic booms have become a regular phenomenon for those living near Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County.
SpaceX and the U.S. Space Force have acknowledged that frequent rocket launches and landings in the area generate disruptive noise.
A SpaceX Dragon capsule returned to Earth on Saturday, causing a late-night acoustic boom that startled people throughout Los Angeles. at approximately 10:45 p.m. A. A loud explosion-like sound was heard by startled Angelenos, followed by a noticeable rattling sound, which sparked fears of an earthquake or an unidentified emergency.
Late-night noise caught the residents off guard.
Confusion and a barrage of social media responses resulted from the boom’s reach into neighborhoods from Santa Monica to Fresno. After hearing what some thought was an explosion or even a television malfunction, many hurried to Reddit and TikTok in search of answers. @limeysublime, a TikTok user, posted video, writing: “It was so loud that I honestly thought we were going to all die like dinosaurs.”. Felix Jordan, a commenter on Corona, claimed to have hyperventilated following the explosion because he was certain it was “my last day on Earth.”. “”.
When the incident rocked Orange, local resident Trent McGee was watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off while lying in bed. “I believed my aquarium exploded,” he remarked. He checked the safety of his exotic porcupinefish in his 360-gallon aquarium before searching Reddit for the truth. Later on, McGee acknowledged that he wished he had been aware of the sonic boom in advance so he could have seen the capsule descend through the sky.
Why Did Something Just Drop Back to Earth Over California?
NASA reports that the SpaceX Dragon capsule, which was carrying about 6,700 pounds of equipment and supplies for the ISS, undocked from the orbital outpost at 9:05 a.m. m. on Friday.
En route to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, it entered Earth’s atmosphere almost thirty-six hours later. The Dragon would “announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom” before landing, according to a post made by SpaceX just an hour before the sonic boom.
In order to ensure that vital cargo reaches and returns from the ISS, this mission was a part of ongoing resupply efforts that were coordinated between the space agency and SpaceX. Although many were startled by the boom, the reentry itself was standard procedure and closely watched, as are all spacecraft returning at supersonic speeds.
Around launch sites, recurring acoustic booms spark discussion.
Many people in Los Angeles were surprised by the boom on Saturday night, but for those who live in the Santa Barbara County area close to Vandenberg Space Force Base, sonic booms are now commonplace. SpaceX and the United States. A. The Space Force has admitted that the area’s regular rocket landings and launches produce annoying noise.
“It’s like a big boom — the walls shake, the windows shake, the dogs start barking,” explained Camarillo local Brooke Heflin, who was experiencing the phenomenon. Basically, you wake up to an explosion. Then your thoughts finally clear up: It’s SpaceX once more,” he continued. After that, you must return to your sleep. “.”.
