It turns out that the exhaust gases from SpaceX’s nine Falcon rockets (and others like them, in addition to Blue Origin) are poisonous to humans and to the planet we call home.
A new paper from the journal Physics of Fluids highlights how researchers have digitally modeled the type of smoke coming out of rockets like those made by SpaceX, Blue Origin and other personal rocket manufacturers, and their conclusions are pretty grim.
“We believe that the challenge of air pollutants caused by rocket launches is vital,” the study team from the University of Nicosia in Cyprus wrote, “and will need to be adequately addressed, as advertising spaceflight, in particular, is expected to accumulate in the future. “future. “
Every launch of fuel for RP-1 rockets, such as SpaceX’s Falcon 9, produces gigantic amounts of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. According to the model made by the Cypriot team, destructive gases emitted through upward rocket launches would be considered as “dangerous to human health” under standards set by the World Health Organization.
In an email sent to Business Insider similar to the study, a Blue Origin spokesperson said its New Shepard rocket is “powered by highly effective and blank liquid oxygen and hydrogen. “and comprises only “carbon-free water vapor” as the final product. Futurism has reached out to SpaceX for comment, but has not yet responded.
The challenge ahead, of course, is that advertising companies, and especially SpaceX, are racing to expand rocket launches to a surprising level. If this is going to pose a major environmental and health challenge, it’s best to know now.
READ MORE: Rocket Air Pollution [Fluid Physics]
Read more about rockets: Journalists criticize NASA for lack of transparency in the pre-launch of the lunar rocket