Search of archived data sources for rocket exhaust-induced modifications of the ionosphere

A comprehensive environmental impact study was initiated that involved an unprecedented scope of concerns ranging from ground-level noise and weather modifications to possible planetary-scale perturbations caused by SPS activity in distant Earth orbits. Results of a study of an intermediate region of the Earth's environment (the ionosphere) where large-scale perturbations are caused by routine rocket activity are described. The SPS program calls for vast transportation demands into and out from the ionosphere, and thus the well-known effect of chemical depletions of the ionosphere (so-called ionospheric holes) caused by rocket exhaust signaled a concern over the possible large-scale and long-term consequences of the induced effects.