Fourteenth International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

Traditionally the rockets for space launching have acceleration and speed profiles that create massive shock waves and eddies while exiting the atmosphere. Shock waves as wide as 4 times of California have been measured. These waves must be ablating huge chunks of our atmosphere in to the vacuum of space. Similarly, atmospheric re-entry of larger space junks (like de-orbiting space stations, larger satellites etc.) must also be creating massive splash effects at 15-30 mach speeds, thus ablating more atmosphere. Of late, huge launchers of many nations pose clear threats. While the climate activists are making enough noise on issues related to them, there is hardly anyone voicing concerns about the atmospheric losses. This paper brings some such issues to the fore that all agencies concerned with the preservation of the atmospheric blanket of Earth should take note of. There are also suggestions to minimize the shock waves.