How far from earth to space
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Distance from Earth to Space: Understanding the Boundaries
Defining the Edge of Space: The Kármán Line
The boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space is commonly defined by the Kármán line, which is situated at an altitude of 100 kilometers (62 miles) above sea level. This demarcation is widely accepted by international bodies such as the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and is used to distinguish between aeronautics and astronautics6.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO): The First Frontier
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is the region of space that extends from about 160 kilometers (100 miles) to 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) above the Earth's surface. This zone is heavily utilized for various satellite operations, including communication, weather monitoring, and scientific research. Human spaceflights, such as those conducted by the International Space Station (ISS), also operate within this region, typically around 400 to 500 kilometers above Earth5.
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
Beyond LEO, Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) spans from 2,000 kilometers to approximately 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles). This region is often used for navigation satellites, such as those in the Global Positioning System (GPS). Geostationary Orbit (GEO) is a specific type of orbit within MEO, located at 35,786 kilometers above the equator, where satellites match the Earth's rotation and appear stationary relative to the surface. This orbit is crucial for communication and weather satellites3.
Quantum Communication and Space-to-Ground Links
Recent advancements in quantum communication have demonstrated the potential for secure data transmission over vast distances. For instance, the Micius satellite has successfully distributed entangled photons to ground stations separated by more than 1,200 kilometers, showcasing the feasibility of a global quantum communication network1. Additionally, integrated space-to-ground quantum communication networks have achieved distances up to 4,600 kilometers, combining satellite and fiber-optic links to enable secure communication across large areas4.
Conclusion
The journey from Earth to space begins at the Kármán line, 100 kilometers above sea level, and extends through various orbital regions, each serving distinct purposes. From LEO, where most human spaceflights and many satellites operate, to the far-reaching capabilities of quantum communication networks, the expanse of space offers numerous opportunities for exploration and technological advancement. Understanding these boundaries helps us appreciate the complexity and potential of space activities.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
Satellite-based entanglement distribution over 1200 kilometers
Satellite-based entanglement distribution using the Micius satellite successfully demonstrates the potential for a global quantum communication network, with effective link efficiency orders of magnitude higher than direct bidirectional transmission through telecommunication fibers.
Highly CitedThe Earth in Space
The Earth is not confined to a nearly spherical solid form 6370 km in radius, isolated in space, turning on its axis once in 24 hours and around the Sun once in 365 days. It has a very complex environment which extends to considerable distances, ending only where the solar environment begins.
Drone Media: Unruly Systems, Radical Empiricism and Camera Consciousness
The relatively short history of satellite technology has illustrated the fact that the space stretching from earth to about 60,000 km above, from traversable airspace through low earth orbit (LEO) up to geostationary orbit (GEO), has become a highly contested and inequitably regulated site of ‘international public affairs’ (Parks, 2013). This space may be considered a ‘natural resource of advanced global civilization’, but it is one without ‘an equally advanced public order for its regulation’ (Wiessner cited in Parks, 2013: 65). Regulation of earth’s vertical publics, for Lisa Parks, has been tied to the often competing interests of scientific innovation, national security, telecommunications and the reconfiguration of ‘the televisual’. Inevitably, what may have been considered by legal scholar Sigfried Wiessner as a natural resource in 1983, has seen successive waves of colonization by wealthy nations and powerful global corporations. Opaque transnational treaties and governing bodies secure decisions far from public scrutiny about how access to the infrastructures of telecommunications and visuality from above is to be allocated and controlled.
An integrated space-to-ground quantum communication network over 4,600 kilometres
This study demonstrates a secure and reliable quantum communication network that combines 700 fiber links and two high-speed satellite-to-ground links, enabling secure communication between more than 150 users over a combined distance of 4,600 km.
Rigorous JournalHighly CitedSpace Activities: A Peculiar Economical, Political, and Industrial Sector
Space activities, a peculiar economic, political, and industrial sector, have become a polluted area of traffic and life due to the increase in air transport and the development of space-based technologies.
Measuring the faint glow of the Earth's thin exosphere
The Earth's thin exosphere, filled mostly with neutral hydrogen atoms, extends from 500 kilometers to hundreds of thousands of kilometers above the surface, with its outer detectable limit being around 15.5 Earth radii.
Spatial Evolution of Energetic Electrons Affecting the Upper Atmosphere during the Last Two Solar Cycles
The decrease in energetic electron fluxes in the South Atlantic Anomaly from the 23rd to the 24th solar cycles may allow the International Space Station to fly at higher altitudes, potentially benefiting future space missions.
Elliptical Orbit Design Based on Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion Technology in Very-Low Earth Orbit Space
Air-breathing electric propulsion technology can enable spacecraft to maintain a stable 150-250 km elliptical orbit in very-low Earth orbit for high-quality communications and near-Earth environment detection.
Earth as a Planet
Earth has been referred by several names as Tellus (the Roman goddess of Earth and a symbol of fertility), Gaia (ancient Greek Earth goddess) and Terra, from the Latin meaning Earth. Earth is the third planet of our Solar System and is placed at a distance of about 150 million km from the Sun. The mean distance between Earth and Sun is used to measure distances within our Solar System. This is called an Astronomical Unit (AU). Detailed statistics of the earth are given in Tables 2.3, 2.5, and 2.6 (see Chap. 2).
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