Space junk blazes into atmosphere

A spent Russian booster rocket reentered the atmosphere over Wyoming and Colorado, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said.

Witnesses reported seeing flaming objects in the sky at the time the rocket was reentering, NORAD spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Sean Kelly said.

A Wyoming state trooper found a large burned spot in the snow beside a highway but no debris.

“It was pretty spectacular,” said Riverton Police Capt. Mark Stone, who said he saw the burning objects while he was retrieving his newspaper. “My first concern is that we had some sort of aircraft that was coming down.”

Authorities said debris that may have hit the ground was not believed to be hazardous.