The space was 20 kilometers closer to the Earth

Have you felt? Did you do it before? Have you noticed that the cosmos, I do not know, has come closer in 20 kilometers?

Of course, nobody really moved (unless you take into account the constant and accelerated expansion of the universe). But in a new study published this week, the idea is that it may be the moment for the people of the Earth to change the imagination, where the atmosphere of the Earth gets ends exactly and where the space begins.

If astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell's calculations are correct, the space boundary where aeronautics laws give way to the laws of orbital flight may be closer than we think – even 20 kilometers plus as the previous estimates suggest.

"The end of the atmosphere and the beginning of space were debated before the launch of the first Sputnik," writes Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysicist McDowell in an article published in the issue of October of Acta Astronautica. – The most widely accepted limit is the so-called Karman line, usually located at an altitude of 100 km. "

And here is the problem: according to McDowell, many scientists are now recognized, the Carman line is based on decades of misunderstanding of information that does not take into account the real orbital data. It's fortunately McDowello's business (and his hobby – he keeps an accurate record of all rocket launches). knows where to look for an evidence-based answer to the question "Where does the cosmos begin?"

Where the satellites fall

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 flew over the proposed Karman line and were definitely in space.

But 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 was functioning 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 death penalty was usually pronounced when the machine went below 80 km.

The wings of the astronaut

As a result, McDowell chose the limit of 50 miles (80 km) as the actual lower limit of space. However, this number corresponds to several other cultural and atmospheric factors. For example, McDowell wrote that during the 1960s, American pilots received special "astronaut wings" for an improvement of more than 50 miles because it was considered the upper limit of the atmosphere .

From a sporting point of view, this choice is also appropriate: the mesopauzia – the coldest earth atmosphere – extends to an altitude of about 85 to 100 kilometers at above the surface of the planet. Here the chemical composition of the atmosphere begins to change radically and more particles become more energetic. (In other words, it is very similar to the space.) It is clear that below the lower limit of the mesopod, the atmosphere of the Earth becomes a stronger force to read by objects who fly, writes McDowell.

"It is worth noting that meteors (flying at a much higher speed) usually fall in the range of 70-100 km, confirming that the effects of the atmosphere are becoming important in the region. "said McDowell.

So what happens if the border between Earth and space is 20% lower than the one that currently exists? Rocket launches or other space activities will not change that, McDowell wrote, but it can raise important political and territorial issues.

The airspace above a particular country is considered part of that country; while space is everything. For example, if space is defined as starting 100 km and the United States is flying 84 km above China, it could legitimately be considered an act of military aggression.

As a result, the United States repeatedly opposed the establishment of a universal space boundary. 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 close to the sky you were last week.