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I know this is completely not your point, but do rockets actually dump a lot of carbon? I thought most rocket exhaust was mostly water.

by xxpor 7y ago

ceejayoz 7y ago
Use reclaimed methane from a landfill and you’re even having a net benefit!
_Microft 7y ago
Yes, some do. Blue Origin's BE-4 engine will run on methane, SpaceX' Raptor engine does as well, Falcon 9s are using refined kerosine instead (i.e. 'gas'). The total amount emitted is negligible compared to aviation or shipping though.
whoisjuan 7y ago
Rockets do emit CO2 but it is a very insignificant amount.
ericd 7y ago
Depends on the fuel. With hydrogen powered rockets a la shuttle main engines, yes. Most of the recent pushes have been kerosene or methane fueled, though. But in the scheme of things, it's really not worth complaining about them vs. our enormous vehicle fleets.
AnimalMuppet 7y ago
Depending on their fuel, they dump some carbon. I would expect that all the rockets launched since Goddard do not add up to significant amounts of carbon. rpjguy seems to regard the rocket thing as Bezos's hobby, for his own entertainment, rather than as an actual attempt to get humanity into space in a meaningful way.
PeterisP 7y ago
A rocket burning all its fuel dumps a lot more carbon than a plane, however, since there are so many more plane flights than rocket flights, the total amount is insignificant in comparison.
dwaltrip 7y ago
Yes, relatively speaking, each launch contributes a "large" amount, but it is completely irrelevant when looking at the overall picture. There are ~100 launches a year, compared with 7 billion miles driven by automobiles per year [1] for example. I don't have a source handy, but I remember hearing that each launch is the equivalent of the annual output of 2 passenger vehicles. So all rockets launches worldwide = 200 drivers. [1] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171113006466/en/Future-Cars-2040-Miles-Traveled-Soar-Sales https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171113006466/en/Fut...

I know this is completely not your point, but do rockets actually dump a lot of carbon? I thought most rocket exhaust was mostly water.

by xxpor 7y ago

I know this is completely not your point, but do rockets actually dump a lot of carbon? I thought most rocket exhaust was mostly water.

ceejayoz 7y ago

Use reclaimed methane from a landfill and you’re even having a net benefit!

_Microft 7y ago

Yes, some do. Blue Origin's BE-4 engine will run on methane, SpaceX' Raptor engine does as well, Falcon 9s are using refined kerosine instead (i.e. 'gas'). The total amount emitted is negligible compared to aviation or shipping though.

whoisjuan 7y ago

Rockets do emit CO2 but it is a very insignificant amount.

ericd 7y ago

Depends on the fuel. With hydrogen powered rockets a la shuttle main engines, yes. Most of the recent pushes have been kerosene or methane fueled, though. But in the scheme of things, it's really not worth complaining about them vs. our enormous vehicle fleets.

AnimalMuppet 7y ago

Depending on their fuel, they dump some carbon. I would expect that all the rockets launched since Goddard do not add up to significant amounts of carbon. rpjguy seems to regard the rocket thing as Bezos's hobby, for his own entertainment, rather than as an actual attempt to get humanity into space in a meaningful way.

PeterisP 7y ago

A rocket burning all its fuel dumps a lot more carbon than a plane, however, since there are so many more plane flights than rocket flights, the total amount is insignificant in comparison.

dwaltrip 7y ago

Yes, relatively speaking, each launch contributes a "large" amount, but it is completely irrelevant when looking at the overall picture. There are ~100 launches a year, compared with 7 billion miles driven by automobiles per year [1] for example. I don't have a source handy, but I remember hearing that each launch is the equivalent of the annual output of 2 passenger vehicles. So all rockets launches worldwide = 200 drivers. [1] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171113006466/en/Future-Cars-2040-Miles-Traveled-Soar-Sales https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171113006466/en/Fut...