Comment on SpaceX vaporizes 260 Starlink satellites in six months using Earth's atmosphere

• Fuckswearwords@lemmy.world ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  Does puncturing through our upper atmosphere during escape have any non insignificant effects? I’ve seen some of those videos of launches at night (when the solar wind lights up everything) and it sure looks like we are burning holes in our ozone layer when we do that. Just asking you cause you seem somewhat knowledgeable.

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  • mushroommunk@lemmy.today ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Okay so I’m just into chemistry and astronomy as a hobby because I love learning, no expert. My understanding though.

    The launches definitely aren’t great but they’re actually not the biggest issue. The problem is the satellites, when they’re deorbited, generate 50+ lbs of aluminum oxide which just floats on the upper atmosphere for years (like 30 years). Aluminum oxide is an especially potent catalyst for ozone depletion. The mega constellations that Musk wants would require multiple satellites to be deorbited daily, quickly piling up the aluminum oxide. The low orbit internet satellites are relatively short lived. So he wants either Kessler syndrome or enough aluminum oxide to eat the ozone in a year

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    • CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      At least we can have the ctharsis of staking them out in the sun and watching them burn like the vampires they are.

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