The rapid unplanned decomposition (aka explosion) of SpaceX’s Starship Megarocke, which rained on burnt pieces of metal across the Caribbean in mid-January, has resulted in a considerable amount of harmful air in the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. It could have released contamination.
According to astronomer and space debris expert Jonathan McDowell, the top of the rocket exploded at an altitude of about 90 miles (146 kilometers) and weighed about 85 tons without propellant. According to Atmospheric Chemistry Researcher Connor Barker at the University of London, it is possible that it returned to Earth from the atmosphere to produce 45.5 tons of metal oxide and 40 tons of nitrogen oxide. Nitrogen oxides in particular are known to damage the Earth’s protective ozone layer.
Barker, which recently published rocket emissions and pollutants inventory from Nature’s satellite re-entry, posted a quote on his LinkedIn profile shortly after the accident. However, in an email to Space.com, he emphasized that the numbers are rough, preliminary estimates rather than accurately calculating the environmental impact of the accident.
However, on Barker’s LinkedIn Post, scientists say the amount of metal air pollution that could be produced in an accident is produced by a third of the metstone material burns out in the Earth’s atmosphere each year. I did it.
It is difficult to convey how much pollution a spacecraft accident generated in a higher atmosphere. For example, scientists don’t know how much the massive amount of Megarocket burned out, or how much has fallen to Earth.
Related: ISS dodges the 39th piece of potentially dangerous space junk. Experts say it’s not the last.
McDowell told Space.com that “many tons” likely splashed into the ocean.
Luckily, the spacecraft’s upper stage is made of stainless steel, not satellite-like aluminum, and not the upper stage of many other rockets, including SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Incineration of aluminum worries many scientists. When aluminum burns at high temperatures during satellite re-entry, aluminum oxides, or alumina, are produced. Alumina is a white powdery material known to damage ozone and alter the reflectivity of the Earth’s atmosphere.
In recent years, the number of satellites orbiting the Earth and subsequent re-entry in the atmosphere has been increasing rapidly. So there is a surge in the amount of alumina released into the Medium and the Upper Stratosphere – otherwise untouched middle layers of the atmosphere. Air pollution in the mesosphere and upper stratosphere is a concern for scientists. The high altitudes that it produces mean that contaminants remain in the atmosphere for a very long time.
Scientists believe that the amount of alumina from incinerated satellites is already approaching the same level that arises from the atmospheric collapse of natural spatial rocks such as asteroids and metstones that contain only trace amounts of aluminum. . The amount of nitrogen oxides produced during re-entry is also closer to those produced by natural space rocks.
Nitrogen oxides occur as fragments of cosmic rocks and space debris, moving at supersonic speeds and compressing the surrounding air when they fall to Earth. Nitrogen atoms heat and react with oxygen to create harmful oxides.
The expected increase in rocket launches and the frequency of satellite fleet growth and subsequent re-entry can quickly increase the concentration of these damaging gases and particles. Pollutants can block the planet’s ozone layer from recovering and exacerbate damage caused by ozone-depleted substances previously used in aerosol sprays and refrigerators. Air pollution from incinerated satellites can also change how much heat the Earth’s atmosphere holds, and can have serious consequences for the Earth’s climate.
Originally posted on Space.com.
