Does anyone ever wonder what the space shuttles could be doing to our atmosphere?

Question

I mean they do go straight through our protective ozone layer. And think about all the fuel that is burned up every second just to get the thing off the ground.

Answer 1

I am not worried about the damage from shuttle launches.  With the amount of research done on the appropriate day and time of launch it would be highly unlikely a launch would miss the hole in the ozone layer.  There is a reason each mission has a "launch window" during which it must be completed.  Did you realize the reason was more than just convenience?

I have been wrong before, and science frequently changes its mind about good and bad ideas.  In 20 years when we are told the shuttles have destroyed the ozone layer, not cars, not bovine flatulence (no joke, it is one commonly held scientific theory), and not human halitosis (ok, this is a joke), I will not be surprised.

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

They don't harm the ozone layer.

As for the fuel... the shuttle engines use liquid hydrogen and oxygen... the only by product of which is water (vapour).

The booster are solid fuel and use an aluminium powder.

Far worse comes out of the old coal power stations and old car engines.

Answer 4

Well the Ozone layer is just a part of our atmosphere that has O3 (versus regular oxygen we breathe O2)... Important reactions occur there to reduce UV exposure on earth. The "holes" we know of are made by CFCs which basically render the O3 useless (so basically there is "none" there). If you go through the gases I'm sure turbulence will just move the O3 molecules around just like how you blow smoke and it'll probably settle back where it was. The O3 isn't destroyed by the shuttle, it's probably just shuffled around.

And also that other guy was right, they use Hydrogen fuel which is clean burning.