This question may seem off-topic but I am curious.Those rockets that aren't reusable let their stages fall and splash down on the ocean. Is there any news reported that they have killed some aquatic animals?
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I'd say it's quite unlikely as the rocket stages don't sink that deep before rising and if they do, most of their velocity would have been scrubbed of anyway. contamination could be harmful to wildlife but that a difficult thing to identify. – R. Hall Nov 18 '20 at 01:50
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1@Reuben Farley-Hall But it has high chance of killing on the surface of ocean. – Auberron Nov 18 '20 at 01:53
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I'd imagine - it's certainly possible, but I doubt that there would be an animal right at the surface in that particular time frame. – R. Hall Nov 18 '20 at 02:04
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3Do seagulls count as 'aquatic animals'? KSC lore says they picked them out of the pad fences after shuttle launches by the score. – Organic Marble Nov 18 '20 at 02:05
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1In saying that, aborted stages would have more fuel and have it dispersed over a larger area which could be very deadly, especially if it was hypergollic – R. Hall Nov 18 '20 at 02:06
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2@Organic Marble The aquatic animals like dolphins and other fishes are priortized but yeah you can also mention birds or terrestrial animals – Auberron Nov 18 '20 at 02:21
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5I'd be amazed if at least one plankter hasn't been killed... – Nov 18 '20 at 02:33
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1I'd never thought about sea life when I'd asked this, shame on me! Do 'size of a bus' sized F9 fairings ever float after impact? Are they navigation hazards? – uhoh Nov 18 '20 at 03:06
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1@ReubenFarley-Hall Stages that fail are normally destructed, a big reason being to burn off the fuel before they come down. – Loren Pechtel Nov 18 '20 at 21:02
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1There is the famous Rocket Frog that was (probably) killed at launch. – Aaganrmu Nov 25 '20 at 09:12