Sorry, I have no pictures, but here is Roskosmos’ Youtube channel dedicated to rocket launches, some of they simply amazing:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=51E1DC20A0890FEC

http://www.bautforum.com/1056479-post22.html

The CO2 emissions are tiny (but present nevertheless!)

The Carbon Monoxide emissions are a bit more alarming

You should be a bit more careful assessing the environmental impact of a space shuttle launch. The indirect impacts (all of the embedded emissions in manufacturing and transporting the equipment) are certainly worth some concern.

But take more care with statements like “Shuttle launches undoubtedly affect the environment, both directly with their emissions…”

If you look at the fuel sources used for the shuttle launch, I think you’ll be surprised. The Shuttle relies on the two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) and the External Fuel Tank for most of the thrust to get it in to orbit. The primary fuel source for the SRB? Aluminum. 70% of the weight of each of those SRBs is Aluminum. Potassium perchlorate is used as a catalyst – so the products of combustion in each SRB are potassium chloride and aluminum oxide. One of them is commonly used for fertilizer. Neither is considered a criteria pollutant or GHG.

The External Fuel tank is even more benign and simpler. It has liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The product of combustion is water vapor – which condenses out before contributing to the GH effect.

There is some potential for NOx emissions from Nitrogen present in the air in and around the combustion chambers, but its probably pretty small.

So all in all, the direct emissions from a shuttle launch are negligible and GHG contributions are essentially zero.

What an excellent point! Recently, the utility company PG&E agreed to buy space-based solar power. This could be tyhe start of some real tangible benefit to humanity and the environment!