But at 300,000 feet (91,440 m) or 57 miles up, this relationship is reversed because there is no longer any air to contribute lift: only inertia prevails. At this altitude and speed, aerodynamic lift still carries 98 percent of the weight of the plane, and only two percent is carried by inertia, or Kepler force, as space scientists call it. Consider, for instance, the record flight of Captain Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr. can actually be determined by the speed of the space vehicle and its altitude above the Earth. In the final chapter of his autobiography, Kármán addresses the issue of the edge of outer space: They include the physical constitution of the air the biological and physiological viability and still other factors which logically join to establish a point at which air no longer exists and at which airspace ends. These factors have been discussed in a very large body of literature and by a score or more of commentators. In arriving at the von Kármán jurisdictional line, myriad factors must be considered – other than the factor of aerodynamic lift. It is comparable to such measures used in the law as mean sea level, meander line, tide line but it is more complex than these. The line represents a mean or median measurement. : 82–96 He indicated the inherent imprecision of the Line: In a chapter on the limits of national sovereignty, he made a survey of major writers' opinions. Haley discussed the Kármán line in his book Space Law and Government. There is still no international legal definition of the demarcation between a country's air space and outer space. In such statements, "reaching the edge of space" merely refers to going higher than average aeronautical vehicles commonly would. Thus, certain balloon or airplane flights might be described as "reaching the edge of space". The expressions " edge of space" or "near space" are often used (by, for instance, the FAI in some of their publications) to refer to a region below the boundary of Outer Space, which is often meant to include substantially lower regions as well. Astronautics: For FAI purposes, activity more than 100 km above Earth's surface.Aeronautics: For FAI purposes, aerial activity, including all air sports, within 100 km of Earth's surface.The FAI uses the term Kármán line to define the boundary between aeronautics and astronautics: In 1957, he was the first person to attempt to calculate a theoretical limit of altitude for airplane flight.ĭefinition The layers of Earth's atmosphere with the Kármán line indicated (not to scale) The Kármán line is named for Theodore von Kármán (1881–1963), a Hungarian-American engineer and physicist who was active in aeronautics and astronautics. Various countries and entities define space's boundary differently for various purposes. As defined by the FAI, the Kármán line was established in the 1960s. While experts disagree on exactly where the atmosphere ends and space begins, most regulatory agencies (including the United Nations) accept the FAI's Kármán line definition or something close to it. The line lies well above the altitude reachable by a conventional airplane or a high-altitude balloon, and is approximately where satellites, even on very eccentric trajectories, will decay before completing a single orbit. International law does not define the edge of space, or the limit of national airspace. The Kármán line has no particular physical meaning, in that there is no noticeable change in the characteristics of the atmosphere across it, but is important for legal and regulatory purposes, since aircraft and spacecraft are subject to different jurisdictions and legislations. However, such definition of the edge of space is not universally adopted. The Kármán line (or von Kármán line / v ɒ n ˈ k ɑːr m ɑː n/) is a proposed conventional boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space set by the international record-keeping body FAI (Fédération aéronautique internationale) at an altitude of 100 kilometres (54 nautical miles 62 miles 330,000 feet) above mean sea level. The orange line of airglow is at a slightly higher altitude (140–170 km) than the Kármán line. Proposed definition for the boundary of outer space Earth's atmosphere photographed from the International Space Station.
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