Timeline for Does "What happens beyond Kármán, stay beyond Kármán"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
11 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jan 6, 2018 at 5:07 | comment | added | uhoh | I believe the "real question" is the question as asked rather than the question one would rather answer or finds easier of more convenient to answer. | |
| Jan 6, 2018 at 3:40 | comment | added | PearsonArtPhoto♦ | The number depends on what direction the thrust is going, what is the velocity of the thrust, and the altitude, not to mention a few other things like where the Moon is at. The real question was will the suborbital exhaust stay, and that answer is unequivocally yes. | |
| Jan 6, 2018 at 2:39 | comment | added | uhoh | I'm looking for math, not "magic". | |
| Jan 6, 2018 at 1:04 | comment | added | PearsonArtPhoto♦ | Of course altitude makes a difference in the orbital velocity, but there is no magic altitude where the gas will stay away just because... | |
| Jan 6, 2018 at 0:10 | comment | added | uhoh | Of course altitude matters. Even for an isolated planet, the escape velocity is a function of distance. And since gravity of the Moon and the Sun come into play, it's more interesting still. An answer will be a number somewhere between 100 km and 1,000,000 km. | |
| Jan 5, 2018 at 18:27 | comment | added | PearsonArtPhoto♦ | It's not the altitude that matters, it's the velocity. Rocket exhaust is just like any orbiting particle, if it's going slow enough, it will fall back down to Earth. The higher you are will affect that somewhat, but the fundamental rule stays the same.And really it would have to escape Earth's gravity entirely to not return to Earth, or else be really really high (HEO orbit at least) | |
| Jan 5, 2018 at 15:29 | comment | added | uhoh | OK but the question is "... is there some point above which most rocket exhaust would not become part of Earth's atmosphere?" I'm looking for a rough estimate of that location. You're answering the question "does most of the exhaust from launches for Earth orbit eventually end up back in the atmosphere?" which is a different question. Also, there isn't really any scientific support, or supporting links for this answer. Right now it just reads as an opinion, rather than a good SE answer. | |
| Jan 5, 2018 at 15:26 | comment | added | PearsonArtPhoto♦ | Added a sentence. Sub-orbital will remain in the atmosphere. Only interplanetary, or retrograde burning for orbital missions, has a good chance of leaving the atmosphere. | |
| Jan 5, 2018 at 15:25 | history | edited | PearsonArtPhoto♦ | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 161 characters in body
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| Jan 5, 2018 at 15:12 | comment | added | uhoh | Can you address "... is there some point above which most rocket exhaust would not become part of Earth's atmosphere?" specifically? I think this answer is only considering the sub-orbital hopping discussed in the linked question. A deep space mission would deposit thrust at much higher altitudes. | |
| Jan 5, 2018 at 15:02 | history | answered | PearsonArtPhoto♦ | CC BY-SA 3.0 |