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Of course, nothing has really changed (unless you take into account the constant and accelerated expansion of the universe). But this week's new study suggests that it's time for Earthmen to change the imagination, where the Earth's atmosphere ends and the cosmos begins
If the astrophysicist's calculations Jonathan McDowell are correct, the space boundary, where the laws of aerial law place the laws of orbital flight
"The end of the atmosphere and the beginning of space were debated before the launch of the first Sputnik, "writes astrophysicist Harvard-Smithsonian McDowell in an article that will appear in the magazine" Acta Astronautica "issue of October. The most widely accepted limit is the so-called Karman line, usually 100km away.
But here's a problem: according to McDowell, many scientists are now recognized, the Karman lineage is based on decades of misunderstanding of information that does not take into account real orbital data. Fortunately, the data is McDowell's case (and his hobby – he keeps an accurate record of all rocket launches in his spare time) and he knows where to look for an evidence-based answer to the question " Where does the cosmos begin? " In his new study, McDowell badyzed the orbit of 43,000 satellites taken from NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), observing US and Canadian airspace. The vast majority of McDowell's satellites were irrelevant – they traveled over Karman's proposed line and were definitely in space.
However, 50 of these satellites were different. At the end of their mission in the atmosphere, all these satellites managed to cover the Earth at least twice in the orbit of 100 kilometers. For example, the Soviet electron-4 satellite in 1997, before reaching the atmosphere and burning, surveyed the planet at a height of 85 kilometers 10 times
Of these cases, it seemed clear that Cosmic physics worked well below the Karman line. Using a mathematical model, McDowell searched for a point where various satellites eventually left the orbit and blazed the atmosphere and found that it could happen from 66 to 88 kilometers. However, the usual death penalty was when the machine landed below 80 kilometers.
Wings of the Astronaut
As a result, McDowell chose the 50-mile limit as the actual lower limit of space. However, this number corresponds to several other cultural and atmospheric factors. For example, McDowell writes that during the 1960s, American pilots received special astronaut wings for a 50-mile climb for airplanes considered the upper limit of the atmosphere
D & # 39; a sporting point of view, this option is also appropriate. the atmosphere of the atmosphere – extends to an altitude of about 85-100 kilometers above the surface of the planet. Here the chemical composition of the atmosphere begins to change radically and more particles become more energetic. (It is clear that under the lower limit of the mezopoietic world, the Earth's atmosphere becomes the strongest force with which the objects to be read must be read.)
"It is interesting to note that meteors generally fall to 70 -100km in the stretch, which only confirms that the effects of the atmosphere are becoming significant in the area, "says McDowell.
So what if the border between Earth and space is 20% lower than the current one? McDowell wrote that the launch of missiles or other space activities would not change, but this could raise some important political and territorial issues.
Airspace above a particular country is considered to be part of that country while space is everything.For example, if the space starts 100 km and the United States steal their satellite 84 km above the C hine, this may legitimately be considered an act of aggression
. This means that McDowell's proposed 50-mile limit is unlikely to become a legally binding and universally accepted threshold in the near future. However, if the burden of life on Earth has to go down, take a look and rejoice that you are a little closer to the sky than last week.
Brandon Specktor
www.livescience.com
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