Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: shuttle vs. ozone
Message-ID: <1990May30.154014.25438@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <6282.266023d3@jetson.uh.edu> <254.UUL1.3#5131@mvac23.UUCP> <18224@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: Wed, 30 May 90 15:40:14 GMT

In article <18224@well.sf.ca.us> yosef@well.sf.ca.us (Joseph Silva) writes:
>I've heard on the radio (on the way to work...) that the Shuttle Destrorys
>part (i think .25% was stated) of the Ozone layer each time it is launched.
>Is this true? Is it cumulative?

There is some adverse effect, but it's very localized.  .25% as a flat
number is ridiculous; .25% briefly over a small area is plausible.

The biggest environmental impact of a shuttle launch, actually, is all
the garbage the SRBs produce.  Solid rockets are pretty dirty.
-- 
As a user I'll take speed over|     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
features any day. -A.Tanenbaum| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu