What Kind of Pollution Comes From the Space Shuttle At Launch?
According to the December 2007 issue of Discover magazine, “… a single NASA space shuttle launch produces 28 tons of carbon dioxide …” However, with only two shuttle launches a year, that’s not a large number. The operation of the Kennedy Space Center is where the big polution numbers pop up … ” … 23 tons of harmful particulate matter settle around the launch area each liftoff, and nearly 13 tons of hydrochloric acid kill fish and plants within half a mile of the site … the environmental cost per launch is the same as that of New York City over a weekend …” “Still, the expected impact of spaceflight pales in comparison with the carbon footprint of a commercial airport. Los Angeles International Airport has carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 19,000 tons a month … and the 33,000 airplanes that fly in and out of the airport each month emit about 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
