Jakarta –
The end of the Earth is often termed as the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. In this case, we know that the Earth’s atmosphere has an arrangement of layers starting from the troposphere near sea level, to the exosphere which is the outermost region.
The higher the atmosphere layer or the farther we are from the surface, the less oxygen is also available.
This happens because each layer of the atmosphere will be distinguished by four main characteristics mentioned by the National Weather Service, namely changes in temperature, chemical composition, density, and movement of the gases in it.
“As you get farther from Earth, the atmosphere becomes less dense,” said Katrina Bossert, a space physicist at Arizona State University. Live Science.
“The composition also changed, and light atoms and molecules began to predominate, while heavy molecules remained closer to the Earth’s surface,” he explained.
So, where is the actual location of the end of the Earth bordering space? Come on, let’s look at the information.
Garis Kármán, Batas Bumi, dan Angkasa
The Kármán line is the boundary between Earth and outer space that was first defined by Theodore von Karman, an American physicist of Hungarian descent, in 1957. This line is important for spacecraft and satellites to successfully orbit the Earth.
“The Kármán line is a region that roughly denotes the altitude above which a satellite will be able to orbit the Earth without burning up or going out of orbit before circling the Earth at least once,” explains Bossert.
“(Kármán’s line) is usually defined as 100 kilometers above Earth,” said Matthew Igel, an adjunct professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of California.
In addition, Igel also added that satellites or other objects can orbit below the height of the Kármán line. However, doing so requires a very high orbital velocity, which is difficult to sustain due to friction.
The altitude was mentioned by Theodore von Kármán as a location where the atmosphere is too thin to affect the aerodynamics of the vehicle and orbit mechanics take over. Red Canyon Software.
Air resistance when a satellite orbits the Earth is also influenced by several factors, such as the size and shape of the satellite which causes the satellite to have the ability to orbit the Earth successfully, as revealed by Bossert.
Typically, satellites will be in low Earth orbit (having an altitude of about 1,000 km), but some are as high as 160 km above Earth, according to the European Space Agency. This causes the satellite to be out of orbit after several years.
This phenomenon can occur because friction from the Earth’s upper atmosphere will gradually slow its orbital speed and cause the satellite to move out of orbit.
The End of the Earth Is Used as the Altitude Limit for Conventional Aircraft
Apart from being used for spacecraft and satellites to orbit the Earth, it turns out that the Kármán line also marks the altitude limit for conventional aircraft because it plays a role in marking the boundary between Earth and space.
Commercial airplanes have a pressurized cabin. However, rapid changes in altitude can affect the thin eustachian tubes, the connections between the ear and the nose and throat that cause a popping ear during takeoff.
However, the air over the Kármán line is too thin for conventional aircraft to fly, as they cannot generate enough lift in this area.
“Therein lies the feeling one should have for the Kármán line. It is an imaginary but practical threshold between air travel and space travel,” says Igel.
On July 11, 2021, aerospace company Virgin Galactic made history. The reason is, this company is estimated to have just flown the first tourist spacecraft.
The plane reaches a height of about 80 kilometers, but the passengers feel the effects of zero gravity. This raises the debate whether they really do flight tourists into the sky.
It should be noted that the Kármán line is an imaginary line, so there is no significant change when someone crosses this line. They may not even realize that they have crossed the boundary between Earth and space, said Igel.
“In principle, flights are still possible up to the Kármán line,” said Igel.
“However, in practice, animals cannot survive at altitudes above the ‘Armstrong limit,’ which is about 20 km above the surface, where the pressure is so low that the fluid in the lungs will boil away,” he explained.
Watch Video “Scientist’s Prediction of a Star Swallowing Earth”
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2023-07-21 12:30:00
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