ENVIRONMENTAL affect!
Each flight into space does have a small impact on the planet it leaves behind, but—for the moment, at least—these launching s are very rare. Only a couple of rockets blast off every week around the world. As a result, space travel doesn't register on most environmentalists' radars.
One issue that might deserve some attention has to do with the depletion of stratospheric ozone, a topic we discuss a few months back. Rocket engines emit reactive gases that cause ozone molecules to break apart. They also discharge microscopic particles of soot and aluminum oxide, which may increase the rate at which those gases wreak havoc. Each variety of rocket propellant delivers its own blend of ozone-depleting substances: Solid propellants, for example, are more damaging than liquid ones, though exactly how much is unclear. Engine design matters, too. To make matters worse, spacecraft dump some of these pollutants directly into the upper and middle stratosphere, where they can start causing damage immediately.
Despite all this, spacecraft contribute very little to the global warming problem.
Source: www.slate.com
One issue that might deserve some attention has to do with the depletion of stratospheric ozone, a topic we discuss a few months back. Rocket engines emit reactive gases that cause ozone molecules to break apart. They also discharge microscopic particles of soot and aluminum oxide, which may increase the rate at which those gases wreak havoc. Each variety of rocket propellant delivers its own blend of ozone-depleting substances: Solid propellants, for example, are more damaging than liquid ones, though exactly how much is unclear. Engine design matters, too. To make matters worse, spacecraft dump some of these pollutants directly into the upper and middle stratosphere, where they can start causing damage immediately.
Despite all this, spacecraft contribute very little to the global warming problem.
Source: www.slate.com