Today, though, the Kármán line is set at what NOAA calls “ an imaginary boundary” that’s 62 miles up, or roughly a hundred kilometers above sea level. In the 1900s, Hungarian physicist Theodore von Kármán determined the boundary to be around 50 miles up, or roughly 80 kilometers above sea level. Historically, it’s been difficult to pin that point at a particular altitude. 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. “Clever characters, surprise twists, plenty of action, and a plot that highlights social and racial inequities in astute prose.Ask someone where outer space is, and they’ll probably point at the sky. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined-and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world but the entire multiverse. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security.īut trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. She works-and shamelessly flirts-with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now what once made her marginalized has finally become an unexpected source of power. She has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. On this dystopian Earth, however, Cara has survived. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying-from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR “ Gorgeous writing, mind-bending world-building, razor-sharp social commentary, and a main character who demands your attention-and your allegiance.”-Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse.An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the multiverse in this stunning debut, a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging.Synopsis: NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE
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