Space-Junk Sleuths Scramble to Collect Debris from Falling Falcon 9 Rocket
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, March 4, 2021. The rocket is carrying a batch of 60 Starlink satellites. (Craig Bailey/Florida Today via AP)
22 Apr 2021
People across the Pacific Northwest were awed on the evening of March 25 by an otherworldly formation of fireballs that streaked across the heavens, causing a social media sensation. Astronomers promptly demystified it as debris from a falling SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Though such wayward rockets generally burn up in the atmosphere, this time substantial chunks fell to earth in Eastern Washington. At least one came uncomfortably close to hitting people.