Did you see that crazy blue spiral in the sky
a few days ago, Monday? The 24th, I think it
was. Yeah, pretty wild, huh? It was visible over
a huge area. I think people were seeing it from
the UK all the way over to Croatia. Yeah. What
was that thing? I saw some photos online. It
looked like a giant space whirlpool or something,
like some kind of portal. It definitely got people
talking. Social media was blowing up with pictures
and theories. I bet. So was it aliens? Well,
some folks definitely thought so, but the most
likely explanation is a little less exciting
than that. The UK Met Office chimed in pretty
quickly and they said it was probably from a
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch. Oh, a rocket launch.
Really. Seems like it. It had launched earlier
that day from Cape Canaveral down in Florida.
OK, but wait, a rocket launch just makes the
straight line going up, right? Not like a giant
blue spiral. Right, yeah. The spiral effect was
actually caused by leftover fuel that got vented
from the rocket's upper stage. See, after the
rocket does its main job, it has to get rid of
any extra fuel. And because it's so high up,
that fuel freezes into ice crystals. I see. And
when those crystals catch the sunlight, even
though it's nighttime on the ground, you get
that amazing swirling, luminous effect that everyone
saw. So it's like a giant space ice sculpture
reflecting the sun. Kind of, yeah. And the spinning
motion probably comes from the rotation of the
rocket stage itself. Makes sense. I guess that's
one way to make an entrance, huh? But it's kind
of scary to think that something we launched
from Earth could create such a huge visual phenomenon
so high up in the atmosphere. Yeah, it really
makes you think about the impact we're having
up there. It does. And this isn't even the first
time something like this has happened, right?
Wasn't there another spiral spotted after a SpaceX
launch sometime last year? You're right, there
was. It was also over Europe, I think. So yeah,
as weird as it looks, it's actually pretty normal
when you think about how rockets work. Normal.
I guess normal is relative these days, huh? Yeah,
I guess so. So we've got all these rocket launches
happening all the time now. Space is getting
pretty crowded with all the commercial activity
and those huge satellite networks. What are they
called? Mega constellations. Yeah, mega constellations.
It just seems like we're constantly launching
stuff up there. We are. It's a booming industry.
But all those launches, plus all those satellites
that eventually have to come back down, they
have experts worried about potential environmental
impacts. I can see why they'd be concerned. What
are some of the specific things they're looking
at? Well, let's start with the rocket launches
themselves. You know, most rockets these days
use fossil fuels, right? Right. And when those
fuels burn, they release a lot of soot. You know,
that black carbon stuff. And that soot goes directly
into the stratosphere. The stratosphere. That's
pretty high up, right? It is. It's the layer
above where airplanes usually fly. And it's where
the ozone layer is? Oh, right. The ozone layer.
That's the one we want to protect. Right. Exactly.
So having all that black soot up there is a big
concern because soot is really good at absorbing
sunlight and turning it into heat. So it basically
acts like a blanket warming up the stratosphere.
That's a good way to put it. And the problem
is research shows that soot from rockets is actually
way more effective at heating the atmosphere
than soot released closer to the ground, like
from cars or factories. So it's not just the
amount of soot. It's also where it ends up. Right.
The altitude makes a huge difference. It's kind
of like if you add a little bit of black dye
to a glass of water, it changes the color of
the whole thing. That's a good analogy. So what
are the potential consequences of this warming
in the stratosphere? I mean, does it? really
affect us down here? Well, that's what scientists
are trying to figure out. But there's a lot of
concern that it could mess with global weather
patterns. So there was a study by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA,
that looked at what might happen if we had a
tenfold increase in rocket launches that use
those hydrocarbon fuels. A tenfold increase.
Wow. Yeah. And they found that this could potentially
damage the ozone layer and also change the way
air circulates in the atmosphere. So a tenfold
increase in launches that's that doesn't seem
that far -fetched considering how fast the space
industry is growing What sort of damage are we
talking about here? Well, they projected that
the stratosphere could warm up by anywhere from
half a degree to two degrees Celsius two degrees
That sounds like a lot it is for the stratosphere.
It's a pretty stable environment up there So
even small changes in temperature can have a
big impact. Okay, what kind of impact are we
talking about? Well, one thing they found is
that it could slow down the subtropical jet streams.
Those are the fast -moving air currents that
flow high up in the atmosphere, and they help
steer weather systems around the globe. Right,
the jet stream. I hear meteorologists talking
about that all the time. Exactly. And if they
slow down, it could lead to more extreme weather
events, like longer heat waves and droughts.
Oh, wow. So this is like a global issue. Potentially,
yeah. And what about the ozone layer? What do
they say about that? The study found that ozone
levels could drop significantly in areas north
of about 30 degrees latitude. That's around where
Houston is. And they even projected a 4 % reduction
in ozone at the North Pole during the month of
June. 4%, that's pretty alarming, right? It is.
Because the ozone layer protects us from harmful
UV radiation from the sun. So if it gets thinner,
we're more at risk for things like skin cancer
and cataracts. So are we certain about how much
soot rockets are actually putting out? I mean,
it sounds like they're still figuring that out.
Yeah, that's a good point. There's still a lot
of uncertainty about exactly how much soot different
types of rocket engines are releasing, more research
is definitely needed there. And are all rocket
fuels created equal, or are some cleaner than
others? Well, some companies are looking at using
cleaner fuels like liquid hydrogen. The problem
is, even those fuels can have environmental impacts
when they're released at high altitudes. Like,
even though hydrogen burns mostly clean, it does
produce water vapor. And in the upper atmosphere,
where it's very dry, water vapor can act as a
greenhouse gas. Oh, wow. So something that's
considered green down here might not be so great
up there. Exactly. It's all about context. So
it sounds like the takeaway here is that no matter
what kind of fuel they use, rocket launches are
having an impact on the upper atmosphere. That's
right. And it's not just the launches themselves.
We also have to think about what happens when
all those satellites we're sending up there eventually
come back down. Right. What does happen to them?
Well, when a satellite reaches the end of its
life, it usually falls back towards Earth and
burns up in the atmosphere. Burns up. Like, completely
disintegrates. Mostly, yeah. It's actually a
good thing because it prevents them from becoming
space junk and cluttering up Earth's orbit. Makes
sense. But it also sounds like it could create
a lot of pollution. It does. When a satellite
burns up, it releases a bunch of stuff into the
atmosphere, mostly aluminum oxide and other metallic
particles. And a lot of satellites are made of
aluminum alloys. So when they burn up, those
metals vaporize and turn into tiny particles
of aluminum oxide. So are we talking about like
a big cloud of metal dust in the atmosphere?
In a way, yeah. And one study estimated that
the amount of aluminum oxide in the mesosphere
and stratosphere could increase by a whopping
six hundred and fifty percent in the next few
decades. Six hundred fifty percent. That's that's
insane. What are the potential consequences of
that? Well, similar to the soot from rocket launches,
aluminum oxide can also affect the ozone layer
and cause changes in temperature in the upper
atmosphere. So we have the soot from the launches
and then the metal dust from the satellites burning
up. That sounds like a double whammy. It is,
and some researchers are even worried that all
that metallic dust could interfere with Earth's
magnetic field. The magnetic field, that's the
one that protects us from solar radiation, right?
Exactly. The theory is that the metallic dust
could weaken the magnetic field, which would
make us more vulnerable to harmful radiation
from space. That's kind of scary. So how long
does this pollution from satellites stay up there?
Well, most satellites burn up between about 60
and 80 kilometers above Earth. Okay. And at that
altitude, the air is so thin that particles can
stay suspended for a really long time. How long?
We're talking potentially hundreds of years.
Hundreds of years, wow. So is there anything
we can do about this? Like, is there a way to
make satellites burn up in a way that's less
polluting? Some scientists have proposed controlling
the re -entry of satellites so that they burn
up at a lower altitude. A lower altitude, okay.
The idea is that if they burn up lower down,
the metallic particles would fall to the ground
more quickly and wouldn't stay suspended in the
atmosphere for so long. Right, that makes sense.
So we've been talking a lot about pollution in
the upper atmosphere, but what about the environmental
impacts of space exploration right here on Earth,
like at the launch sites themselves? That's a
great question, because yeah, launch sites can
definitely have an impact on the environment,
especially if there's an accident. Right. Remember
that SpaceX Starship launch in Texas last year?
The one that blew up the launch pad? Yeah, what
a mess. It was a pretty spectacular failure,
to be honest. But it also caused a lot of damage,
right? It did. The force of the explosion sent
debris flying for kilometers around the launch
site, like sand, soil. pieces of metal and concrete,
all kinds of stuff. Oh, wow. Where did all that
debris land? A lot of it ended up in nearby state
parks and wildlife refuges. And that area is
really important for a lot of plants and animals,
some of which are endangered. I remember reading
that they had to ground Starship for a while
because of the environmental damage. Yeah, the
U .S. Fish and Wildlife Service stepped in. They
weren't too happy about it. So these environmental
concerns aren't just hypothetical. They're actually
happening. They are. And it's only going to get
worse as the space industry continues to grow.
So is there anything being done to address these
concerns? Like are there any regulations in place?
Not really. That's the problem. Seriously. No
regulations at all. Right now there aren't any
specific rules about air pollution from rocket
launches or satellite reentries. Wow. So there
are no regulations. Well, in the U .S., the Federal
Communications Commission, the FCC, is responsible
for licensing satellites. OK. But they don't
require any environmental impact studies before
they issue those licenses. So they're just launching
satellites without any consideration for the
environmental consequences. Pretty much. Yeah.
And what about internationally? Are there any
treaties or agreements that address this issue?
Nope. This whole thing is so new that it seems
to have fallen through the cracks of existing
environmental regulations. So we're basically
in uncharted territory here. Exactly. And that's
what's so worrying. We're pushing the boundaries
of space exploration without fully understanding
the environmental costs. We've been talking a
lot about the impacts of launch sites in the
U .S., but what about other countries? Well,
the Soviet -era Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
is a good example of what can happen when environmental
regulations are lax. What happened? located in
a really sensitive ecosystem. And for years,
they didn't really pay much attention to the
environmental impact of their launches. And what
was the result of that? Well, the area around
the Cosmodrome ended up being heavily polluted
with toxic rocket fuel. It became a real environmental
disaster. A lot of people got sick. That's awful.
So is anyone doing things right? Like, are there
any space agencies that are taking environmental
concerns seriously? Well, the European Space
Agency has been trying to minimize the impact
of their Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. Kourou
is right next to a rainforest, so they're very
aware of the need to protect the environment.
What are they doing differently? They're doing
a lot of things, actually. They monitor air and
water quality really closely, and they have strict
rules about what kind of activities are allowed
near the launch site. So it sounds like it is
possible to launch... rockets and satellites
in a more environmentally friendly way? It is,
but it takes a lot of effort and planning. So
as we continue to explore space, what are some
things that we can do to ensure that we're not
destroying the planet in the process? Well, first
of all, we need to start taking the environmental
impacts of space exploration seriously. We can't
just assume that it's all good. Right. And we
need to develop better regulations and international
agreements to address these issues. So more research,
more regulations, and more international cooperation.
Exactly. Well, this has been a fascinating, if
somewhat sobering, look at the environmental
impact of space exploration. It's definitely
something we all need to be thinking about. I
agree. And speaking of thinking about the environment,
if you'd like to learn more about meteorology
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on his YouTube channel. Thanks for listening.