William Atkins
Friday, 03 April 2009 21:27
Science -
Climate
Page 2 of 4
Darin Toohey, one of the authors of the study, stated,
"As the rocket launch market grows, so will ozone-destroying rocket emissions."
Dr. Toohey, of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado (Boulder), added,
“If left unregulated, rocket launches by the year 2050 could result in more ozone destruction than was ever realized by CFCs."
CFCs refer to chlorofluorocarbon, a class of chemical compounds that are known to deplete the ozone layer around the Earth. They are included in such products as fire extinguishers, refrigerants, propellants (aerosol cans), flame retardants, and solvents.
In the April 1, 2009 ScienceDaily.com article “
Rocket Launches May Need Regulation To Prevent Ozone Depletion, Says Study,” Martin Ross, another of the authors of the study, was paraphrased to have said that
“Future ozone losses from unregulated rocket launches will eventually exceed ozone losses due to chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which stimulated the 1987 Montreal Protocol banning ozone-depleting chemicals.”
The authors continue to state:
“Large uncertainties in our understanding of ozone loss caused by rocket engines leave open the possibility that launch systems might be limited to as little as several tens of kilotons per year, comparable to the launch requirements of proposed space systems such as spaceplanes, space solar power, and space reflectors to mitigate climate change.” [Abstract]
Thus, as more launches of large rockets occur around the world from more and more space-faring countries, it may be prudent to now (and not later) perform research to remove that uncertainty and find out exactly how much ozone-depletion occurs on such launches.
Dr. Ross, who is associated with The Aerospace Corporation (Los Angeles, California) stated,
"In the policy world uncertainty often leads to unnecessary regulation.” [ScienceDaily.com]
He adds,
“We are suggesting this could be avoided with a more robust understanding of how rockets affect the ozone layer." [ScienceDaily.com]
Page three continues.
