Find out the origins of our home planet and some of the key ingredients that help make this blue speck in space a unique global ecosystem. So, how is “space” currently defined?īroadly, most experts say that space starts at the point where orbital dynamic forces become more important than aerodynamic forces, or where the atmosphere alone is not enough to support a flying vessel at suborbital speeds.Įarth is the only planet known to maintain life. However, the United States and some other countries have resisted a formal, international delimitation of space, stating that it’s not necessary and that “no legal or practical problems have arisen in the absence of such a definition.” Others argue that maintaining a distinct boundary will be crucial, given an increase in the number of national space programs and in private spaceflight endeavors that are boosting the amount of suborbital traffic. “Once you agree on a boundary of space, you agree on a boundary where space law applies.” “Where does a country’s air space stop and space begin?” asks Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The laws governing air space and outer space are different flying a satellite 55 miles above China is just fine if space begins at 50 miles up, but define the edge at 60 miles, and you might find your satellite being treated as an act of military aggression. International treaties define “space” as being free for exploration and use by all, but the same is not true of the sovereign airspace above nations. Does it really matter where space starts? Here, we take a look at the ways space is currently defined, the confusion surrounding the demarcation, and what the future might bring. Is that a problem? “No, I think it’s great!” says NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, who helped repair the Hubble Space Telescope. As of right now, they will, according to U.S. Now, with Virgin Galactic seemingly on the cusp of launching paying passengers onto suborbital trajectories, many people are wondering whether those lucky space tourists will earn their astronaut wings. That might sound trivial, but defining that boundary could matter for a variety of reasons-including, but not limited to, which high-flying humans get to be designated as astronauts. It’s up, right? Simple.Įxcept, no one really knows where “air space” ends and “outer space” begins. Ask someone where outer space is, and they’ll probably point at the sky.
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