Question Smoke plume danger

[ryan]

Hey guys, when the shuttle takes off there sort of three kinds of smoke, the SSME water supressed smoke, the SRB water supressed smoke and the SRB contrail during flight. Is there any toxcity to the smoke that the shuttle leaves behind, i would think that NASA would of tested the smoke in the Shuttle Test Program.
A second question is there any rocket that can leave a highly toxic contrail?
Thanks.
Ryan.

 

[MJR]

Considering all the chemicals that are combined in the fuel, epoxy resin, and etc. I would think there is some sort of toxicity.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

The SRBs will leave a complex chemical contrail whereas the SSMEs leave water vapor behind (with some random hydrogen/oxygen compounds, but those are unstable). Other "toxic" rockets include the Saturn V, Delta II, Proton, Soyuz, Atlas etc. Saturn, Delta, Atlas use Kerosene and LOX and Proton and Soyuz use UDMH/MMH and N2O4 both (all 4?) of which produce a toxic exhaust.

 

[Andy44]

SRB exhaust is very nasty. Kerosene/LOX exhaust is essentially the same as diesel or jet engine exhaust; nasty in high concentrations. Hydrogen/LOX exhaust is just water vapor and harmless except for being scalding hot to start with. Everything about hypergolic propellants is VERY nasty.

 

[SiberianTiger]

SRB exhaust is very nasty. Kerosene/LOX exhaust is essentially the same as diesel or jet engine exhaust; nasty in high concentrations. Hydrogen/LOX exhaust is just water vapor and harmless except for being scalding hot to start with. Everything about hypergolic propellants is VERY nasty.

Considering envirionmental damage, it's best to say that any nitric acid based propellants are highly toxic for the higher animals; but at the same time. they are quite successfully consumed by plants. Kerosene works the opposite way out: it hits plants and insects most and can be accumulated in the environment causing long lasting damage.

 

[ryan]

Considering envirionmental damage, it's best to say that any nitric acid based propellants are highly toxic for the higher animals; but at the same time. they are quite successfully consumed by plants. Kerosene works the opposite way out: it hits plants and insects most and can be accumulated in the environment causing long lasting damage.

I would like to see if the plants at KSC are any different to elsewhere becuase they all seem to be healthy and green, they gotta be one of a kind becuase there are high power rockets flying all over the place and some of the astronauts egos