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Shuttle Launch. (i.imgur.com)

submitted ago by iCtrl

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[–]TheAgreeableCow 3 points4 points ago

The majority of the white clouds seen during the first few seconds of a shuttle launch is actually steam, not smoke. To dampen the noise from the powerful rocket motors on the shuttle 400,000 gallons of water are sprayed underneath the exhaust for six seconds before launch and fifteen seconds afterward. When the hot exhaust hits the water it evaporates, making an enormous cloud which will eventually precipitate and turn into rain.Without this sound dampening system, the immense blast of noise from the shuttle launching would likely break windows for miles around the launch site.

wiki

[–]RogerStrong 1 point2 points ago

Watch footage of a daytime shuttle launch. Yes, all the steam you describe is there. And most of it is the exhaust - hydrogen and oxygen combining to create water vapor and energy. The steam from the sound supression system is minor by comparison.

But then the solid rocket boosters ignite and the amount of clouds generated triples. This is NOT steam, it's exhaust from Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant. That exhaust is lethal to begin with, but then it combines with the water vapor from the shuttle's main engines to form clouds of super-heated hydrochloric acid.

And so NASA has to do a lot of preventive maintenance on the launch infrastructure, and use very expensive materials. No. 316 stainless steel still gets pitted and corroded.

[–]drums_addict 2 points3 points ago

this is the wallpaper on my laptop

[–]dizzytri99er 2 points3 points ago

Stumbled upon this n thought you might like my dual screen background :)

http://i.imgur.com/rp7xzRA.jpg

[–]mherr77m 0 points1 point ago

This was one of the first dual monitor backgrounds that I got when I bought my second monitor. Great picture.

[–]grimfel 2 points3 points ago

I'd swear there was a 'no smoking' sign posted there just a second ago.

[–]BanditoRojo 2 points3 points ago

Unimaginable raw energy in motion. Someone is strapped in that thing.

[–]mathmat 1 point2 points ago

It's photos like this one that make me wish I had gone to one of those launches.

[–]ajehals 1 point2 points ago

This and photos of Concorde, amazing what's disappeared over the last few years.

[–]happywaffle 0 points1 point ago

I took my dad to the final nighttime launch for his 60th birthday. So beautiful it literally made me cry. (Blog post about the experience)

[–]manofmanynames 2 points3 points ago

It's really sad to think that we probably won't see this ever again :(

[–]son_gohan_rice_bowl 1 point2 points ago

How doth the hero, strong and brave, a celestial path to the heavens paved!......... Go, Dad, go.

[–]PillsburyHomeboy 1 point2 points ago

I think I remember seeing somewhere that there is water underneath the rocket at launch so it doesn't melt everything or isn't super loud. If what I think I remember is true.. that should be mostly steam

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]RogerStrong 0 points1 point ago

Some of it is steam. Most of it though, is exhaust from the Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant in the solid rocket boosters. Which combines with the water vapor from the shuttle's main engines to form clouds of super-heated hydrochloric acid.

[–]RedditTooAddictive 0 points1 point ago

Shuttle so strong she tilted Earth.