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Questions tagged [pollution]

Questions about the introduction of potentially harmful objects/substances into the environment

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19 votes
5 answers
4k views

Could rocket exhaust eventually lead to detrimental effects from interplanetary space pollution?

I am interested in if the exhaust from a rocket would lead to space pollution like space junk does. Particularly, I am talking about the exhaust that stays in interplanetary orbit and does not return ...
Alex Abramov's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
86 views

Can we afford to increase rocket launches when we are are in desperate need to cut down emssions? [duplicate]

I love SpaceX and what they are doing with rockets and reusability, but their work is also going to exponentially increase the demand for new launches to orbit. If we are ever going to create a self ...
Cris's user avatar
  • 203
5 votes
0 answers
506 views

How many kilograms of nickel particles will be dispersed in Earth's atmosphere by dumping old ISS batteries overboard?

update: CNN's November 7, 2023 Japanese scientists want to send a wooden satellite into space links to October 16, 2023 NOAA scientists link exotic metal particles in the upper atmosphere to rockets, ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 151k
28 votes
5 answers
8k views

Would rocket engine exhaust create pockets of gas in space which could hinder further space exploration?

Suppose we establish a moon base. This base would have some population, with some need for supplies, and needs for machinery in the early stages. If we establish shipping lanes in space for these ...
mcnnowak's user avatar
  • 383
6 votes
1 answer
444 views

What will happen to the rocket exhaust particles fired by spacecrafts?

During the launch, when the rocket is itself yet to attain a stable orbit, the exhaust from the launch vehicle is directed approximately in the opposite direction of its velocity. So, there is no ...
Vishnu's user avatar
  • 3,316
3 votes
1 answer
539 views

What would be the performances of chlorine trifluoride as an oxydizer?

Inspired by this comment Assume that a particularly deranged moustache-twirling villain with way more time and resources than is reasonable decides to build a satellite-launching rocket using ...
Eth's user avatar
  • 779
6 votes
3 answers
269 views

What propulsion system would not pollute the surface when landing on a pristine celestial body?

A robotic lander on a science mission, especially to an airless body, would like to avoid disturbing the surface it is landing on with rocket exhausts. MSL Curiosity used a Sky Crane to somewhat ...
Tombola's user avatar
  • 180
4 votes
0 answers
263 views

Wet space junk and flotsam washing up on shore, will it get worse, is there a plan to mitigate?

This comment links to this collectspace.com post: Three business executives vacationing (?) in the Bahamas came across part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 fairing that washed ashore. They shared their find ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 151k
10 votes
2 answers
6k views

What happens to rocket stages that land in the oceans, and how many are still there?

When a rocket stage is jettisoned into the ocean, does it typically sink? Assuming yes, how many rocket stages are now lying on the ocean floor? Are there, on the ocean floor, areas where there ...
Igby Largeman's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
681 views

Does NASA really measure PM2.5 concentrations from space?

Particulate air pollution is a serious health concern, especially the particles small enough to remain in the air as it reaches the deepest, smallest areas in the lungs. These particles can cause ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 151k
4 votes
3 answers
3k views

Pollution by rockets and missiles

If we are using lots of toxic fuels like hydrazine for rockets, wouldn't this cause pollution due to the burnt leftovers ? I mean, just consider the amount of rockets and missiles launched in world so ...
user132257's user avatar
26 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is the legal status of waste rocket parts ending up in the ocean?

Since most rockets are 'expendable', and perform re-entry over sea, their parts either burn up or end up in the world's oceans. It there any legal basis for the waste (pollution) that ends up in the ...
florisla's user avatar
  • 486
17 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why are Europe’s Air & Space Academy and DLR urging ESA and CNES to reconsider the use of solid fuels for the proposed Ariane 6?

With Ariane 6 launch site selected, CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, the French space agency) was aiming to freeze the design of the new rocket in May 24, 2013. A few days after and that same ...
TildalWave's user avatar
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