At least one researcher, Dr. Michael Stevens of the United States Naval Research Laboratory, believes space shuttle exhaust may contribute to the formation of noctilucent clouds.
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Does the water vapor deposited into the atmosphere from Space Shuttle exhaust contribute to the formation of NLCs?
There is clear evidence that water vapor from shuttle exhaust can be transported to the polar regions and then lead to the formation of NLCs. What is unclear is the relative importance of Shuttle effects versus other causes of NLC formation. The effect cannot be dominant because the number of shuttle flights in northern summer are sparse over the history of the Shuttle program since its start in 98 and the variation in the number of flights does not correlate with the variation in PMC frequency of occurrence. AIM will measure the amount of ice present over the polar regions each day and from this, the enhancement of ice in response to shuttle launches can be determined. Thus AIM will quantify the role of shuttle exhaust in NLC formation."
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