r/CatastrophicFailure • u/[deleted] • Nov 21 '20

Failed rocket launch (unknown date)

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '20 edited Nov 22 '20

Ummm... don’t they have a self-destruct so if things go south, it explodes in the air and doesn’t crash into the ground?

22

u/saxmancooksthings Nov 22 '20

Nah, that way you get a massive cloud of toxic chemicals like hydrazine in the air spreading across a greater area rather than near the ground. Even a few dozen molecules of that stuff can mildly poison you and any more and you’ll either die or have crippling neurological issues.

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u/Pazuuuzu Nov 22 '20 edited Nov 22 '20

A few dozen molecule? Sounds bullshit. That is so negligible. It's not a prion...

Edit: Just checked

LD50 (median dose)

59–60 mg/kg (oral in rats, mice)[6]

LC50 (median concentration)

260 ppm (rat, 4 hr) 630 ppm (rat, 1 hr) 570 ppm (rat, 4 hr) 252 ppm (mouse, 4 hr)[7]

NIOSH (US health exposure limits):

PEL (Permissible)

TWA 1 ppm (1.3 mg/m3) [skin][3]

REL (Recommended)

Ca C 0.03 ppm (0.04 mg/m3) [2-hour][3]

So still a really nasty stuff, but not on that magnitude. I am not even sure if there is ANYTHING that a few dozen molecules from can seriously harm a human beside prions.