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From: dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: booster pollution
Message-ID: <1990Jan18.002306.11314@cs.rochester.edu>
Date: 18 Jan 90 00:23:06 GMT
References: <15378@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <1990Jan6.060300.13029@utzoo.uucp> <1990Jan15.164939.29641@utzoo.uucp> <19846@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <13353@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Reply-To: dietz@cs.rochester.edu (Paul Dietz)
Organization: University of Rochester Computer Science Department
Lines: 15

In article <13353@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> kimf@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (Kim Flowers) writes:

>Hey, what about all those HOH molecules them hydrogen-oxygen boosters
>are spreading all over the place!  Could be a real problem... :)

Actually, they could be, if the launch rate is high enough (read:
much larger than now).  The upper stratosphere is extremely dry.
If we inject water there, it could form high altitude ice clouds,
especially in polar regions.  Such clouds cause net warming by
reflecting infrared radiation.  Also, ice clouds in the Antarctic
stratosphere are thought to play a part in the formation of
the ozone hole.

	Paul F. Dietz
	dietz@cs.rochester.edu