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Noctilucent Clouds Likely Caused By Shuttle Launches

Posted by kdawson on from the tunguska-was-a-comet dept.

icebike writes "In our recent discussion of the phenomenon of noctilucent clouds, there was some suggestions that these might be the product of global warming due to moisture being lofted high into the atmosphere. It now appears that these clouds are simply the product of Shuttle launches. In a story about the Tunguska blast, Science News says: 'Each launch of a space shuttle, which burns a combination of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as fuel, pumps about 300 metric tons of water vapor into the atmosphere at altitudes between 100 and 115 kilometers. Soon after the January 16, 2003, launch of the shuttle Columbia, a liftoff that took place just after the height of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, noctilucent clouds appeared over Antarctica. Similarly, a widespread display of the night-shining clouds showed up over Alaska two days after the shuttle Endeavour blasted off on August 8, 2007. Previous studies show that in both instances those clouds included material from the shuttle plumes.' So, man-made after all?"

7 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. See? Man-made climate change! by mveloso · · Score: 4, Funny

    Those damn environmentalists were right!

    1. Re:See? Man-made climate change! by NReitzel · · Score: 2, Funny

      And now, they're putting toxic chemtrails in space!

      --

      Don't take life too seriously; it isn't permanent.

    2. Re:See? Man-made climate change! by Gilmoure · · Score: 2, Funny

      At least they're not throwing around a lot of radioactive stuff in space. Would turn it in to some kind of inhospitable void.

      --
      I drank what? -- Socrates
  2. Re:Um, first observed in 1887 - well before shuttl by Taikutusu · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, there goes my crack headline of "Latest Global Warming Cause : Shuttle Farts".

  3. Re:Um, first observed in 1887 - well before shuttl by maxwell+demon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Almost a full century before the first shuttle launch by humans! Finally we have proof for UFOs! :-)

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
  4. Easiest waste of modpoints by BenevolentP · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wow, that was the easiest way to get rid of these pesky modpoints ever. Go back to the old article and retroactively mod everyone up who vaguely mentioned something spaceshuttly.

  5. Re:Um, first observed in 1887 - well before shuttl by Talderas · · Score: 3, Funny

    Schroedinger's Noctilucent Cloud?

    It doesn't exist until you photograph it?

    --
    "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork