"How much do rockets pollute" Full Preview / Review!

This video was very informative but I feel like it pivoted from pollution in general to focusing mostly on CO2. I gather that methalox-fueled engines can be carbon-neutral because you can make Methane from CO2 which you can get from the atmosphere. Is the other emission from a methalox-burning engine just water?

Thomas Maufer

Bravo Tim, great work :-)

Robin Hilliard

Video idea: A rough primer on aerodynamics so we can also learn about the pointy end. Great work, loved the video.

Just rewatched the last broadcast of the Starlink launch. I think you probably have already caught your flub on why fairings take longer to reach the ground. : ) Thanks for taking the time to make the pollution video so great!!!

Andrew Gassman

Just great. Thanks.

Shelly Gold

Awesome production Tim. I liked the detailed comparisons.

Matthew Zaleski

This is great, always wanted to know more about this topic

Amir N

Great work!. Estimating total pollution contribution is always a hard task. You did an excellent job. It was clear and concise.

Great stuff, BTW.

Graphic text suggestion at 21:32. Add a descriptive chart title maybe at the bottom such as "Tons of Pollution per Ton to Orbit". Same suggestion for the other comparative charts. Simply, what is it we are comparing here?

Great research on a really complex topic, Tim. "Embodied Energy" is the term for how many MJ/kg it takes to manufacture the materials for the rocket (which does not include pollutants). Super complex software programs are used to track the energy and pollution over the entire lifecycle of the products / supply chain. I don't know it's ever been done for rockets. But this is a great analysis of this one slice. Considering what it takes to make one, I think flying them is, sadly, one of the least polluting parts of their existence. You mention this briefly, but I think it's important to emphasize.

Great work Tim! Nice and fun balance around the rabbit holes and some hilerius pronunciations :-D The topic and the content are interesting and your presentation is inspiring.

Brell Persovin

Tim, I found this very informative. Thanks very much.

Interesting info throughout the whole video. And... i agree totally that if you wanna fully compare, pollution footprint the materials and energy costs for cradle to grave should taken into account. And i also agree that this is way beyond the scope of the science you're doing for this video. I'm sure you could do it, but it's just pretty far from the main subject matter.

Mike Zitter

I've just started watching this. Since you've teased this for a while I was thinking what are the energy costs of the fuels themselves, such as making and storing cryogenic oxygen or cryogenic hydrogen

Incredible video Tim. I really love these long down the rabbit hole videos :D

Hey Tim, great video. I just have a few comments. First of all, at 14:18 putting the compounds you try to pronounce (like “Monomethylhydrazine”) in the middle of the screen rather than at the bottom would make the viewing experience better. Second, I think you should put a written disclaimer or note somewhere in the video, maybe when you talk about what comes out of the flamey end. In this note just mention that NOx means (NO, NO2, N2O, etc). This would help clarify things for some people who might not be aware of what nitrogen oxides are. Lastly, at 17:46 I think it’s a typo but instead of “Generically” you should use “Generic”. Thanks!

Hi Tim thanks for a great video, I have done some extensive “back of the envelope” calculations on how much “waste heat” is produced consistently and incessantly by all of humanity and the number is HUGE, (including a very very large amount from nuclear power stations) I would have loved to see some numbers and some mention on that topic as the “waste heat generation of humanity” is a very material amount and literally nobody ever says anything about it and is in some way a contributor to global warming and climate change. I believe that just like “noise pollution” is a thing, thermal pollution should also be mentioned (even if at least just fleeting) please please don’t squash this comment... thanks Zax

Great topic Tim! I can't wait for everybody to see this video. Does the first intro clip need color correction?

GW

Absofreakinglutly awsome! Thanx!!

Johan Roman

Excellent Job TD Keep up the great work.

Great video, but I believe there is a spelling error in the chart at 46:10, shouldn't the "Fyobi 4-Stroke Leaf Blower" be "Ryobi 4-Stroke Leaf Blower"? Keep up the awesome content and live streams!

Nice video and lots of great details! I had no idea reentry heating and the interaction with the atmosphere was even a part of the equation. Also, starship is gonna be waaaay cleaner than I thought it would be. Just a few examples of the many things I learned from this :) Thanks for taking the time to get it right and paint such a complete picture. Rockets certainly seem to be worth all the amazing technologies, services, and knowledge we get from them.

Great job Tim. I think you really covered all the bases. It’s no wonder it took so long 👌👍

Great video Tim. This will really help when I explain to the unknowing about how much rockets actually pollute compared to the rest of the transportation industry or just industry in general.

Outstanding! Great job Tim - you literally outdid yourself.

Reggie Wheeler

Incredible video Tim! Thanks for putting so much work into everything you do, it really shows and we love you for it. Don't worry too much about the gaps between videos because honestly, between your livestreams, tweets, posts here, and meeting you in person, you've still been giving us plenty of educational material! I really don't feel like I've been missing too much in the past 5 months. Keep up the amazing work, and of course it would be nice to have a new video sooner rather than later but still, you've got a community here that will be with you through anything!

Whoa! It's long... and worth it. Great work Tim!

Richard Campbell

Super clear and informative

Awesome! Going to have to wait til tomorrow to review. Can't wait!

Noice