Have you ever wondered what happens? in the atmosphere when does a rocket explode? It’s not a question we ask ourselves every day, but scientists have recently discovered that explosions can have a much more profound impact than we think. The explosion of SpaceX’s Starship rocket during a launch on November 18 created a literal “hole” in Earth’s atmosphere. Yes, you read that right. A hole. But how did it happen, and more importantly, how serious is it?
The dynamics of the explosion
Let’s start from the beginning: the Starship of SpaceX exploded just four minutes after launch from Boca Chica, Texas. The rocket, which was traveling at supersonic speed, reached about 90 km (56 miles) in altitude before its superheavy booster exploded, followed by another explosion a few minutes later. These two detonations sent shock waves through the upper atmosphere, a zone called ionospherelocated between 50 and 400 miles above the Earth’s surface.
What’s so special about the ionosphere? This region is filled with charged particles, made so by solar radiation, and is the last “boundary” between the Earth and it space. Normally, disturbances in this part of the atmosphere occur due to natural causes, such as volcanic eruptions or gas emissions from rockets. But here, something different happened. The shock waves created by the Starship explosion caused a rare phenomenon: a temporary hole in the ionosphere, up to 1,200 miles across.
An unprecedented discovery
According to scientists, what makes this discovery unique is that, while usually “holes” in the ionosphere are formed by chemical reactions, in this case the hole was caused by acoustic shock waves. This is the first documented case of a hole in the ionosphere caused by a artificial explosion non-chemical. The study, published in Geophysical Research Lettershas led experts to revise their understanding of the processes occurring in our atmosphere.
But the good news is that, while it may seem scary, this hole “healed” itself in about 30-40 minutes. Rocket explosions and other similar natural events can create temporary disruptions, but fortunately, our atmosphere seems to be pretty good at recovering. Curious, isn’t it?
These phenomena are more common than you might think, but they are also difficult to detect. Starship, despite failing in its mission, provided a unique opportunity to observe how acoustic waves can affect the ionosphere, revealing details about atmospheric processes that still elude our understanding. Why was the hole so big? Why did the waves propagate in unusual directions? These are some of the mysteries that scientists are trying to solve.
So what can we do? learn from all this? Space exploration is not just a technological challenge; it also offers us unprecedented insight into how our planet and the cosmos interact. Failures like Starship help us understand Better the universe around us, and remind us that, despite all the progress, there is still much to learn.
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