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From: dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Perry G Ramsey)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: The shuttle is destroying the ozone layer?
Summary: Don't get flippant.  The Shuttle also burns
	 Ammonium Perchlorate and Aluminum.
Message-ID: <5823@mace.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 20 Oct 90 18:35:48 GMT
References: <143360@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <10314.2711c063@pbs.org> <1990Oct20.073254.23197@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Organization: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Lines: 30

In article <1990Oct20.073254.23197@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>, draper@cps3xx.cps.msu.edu (Patrick J Draper) writes:
> In article <1990Oct19.022310.14985@midway.uchicago.edu> esm1@quads.uchicago.edu (Eric S. Mendelsohn) writes:
> >I heard the other day that each shuttle launch releases an enormous quantity
> >of ozone-destroying gasses into the upper atmosphere, and according to one 
> 
> Let's see now.....
> The shuttle burns H2 as fuel (hydrogen). The oxidizer is O2 (oxygen).
> If I'm correct, the reaction is thus:
> 
>         2H    +  O   --->   H O       (water)
>           2       2          2
> 
> I doubt that mother earth minds too much.


There is a lot more to it than this.  The solids produce a
large quantity of nasty stuff, including chlorine compounds.
Chlorine normally has a tough time getting into the stratosphere
(where the ozone is), but a Shuttle launch is a great source.
(So are chlorofluorocarbons.  That's the problem with them.)

I believe the conclusion of our discussions is that this is 
a problem.  How big?  More than insignificant, but
less than a few ecohysteric tree-huggers
would like everyone to believe.
-- 
Perry G. Ramsey           Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
perryr@vm.cc.purdue.edu   Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN USA
dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu    We've looked at clouds from ten sides now, 
			  And we REALLY don't know clouds, at all.