Where does space begin? Here’s everything you need to understand about Karman Line
'Karman Line' is named after Theodore von Karman, a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist. he was the first person to attempt to derive such an altitude limit. But what is Karman Line, and what is the debate around 'space' and 'not space'? Find out here.
The Karman Line, the most commonly accepted boundary of space, is an imaginary boundary located roughly 100 km above sea level. (Image: News18 Creative)
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The Karman Line has been often compared to international waters, where aerodynamics stops and astronautics begins. It is named after Theodore von Karman, a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist. he was the first person to attempt to derive such an altitude limit. (Image: News18 Creative)
Many experts say that space starts at the point where orbital dynamic forces become more important than aerodynamic forces. NASA Mission Control places the line at 122 km. In the 1900s the Hungarian physicist Theodore von Karman determined the boundary to be 80 km above sea level; today it is at roughly 100 km. (Image: News18 Creative)
There are a variety of reasons why a boundary matters. The fact is outer space does not begin at a definite altitude above the Earth’s surface. The Karman Line, and other such boundaries, represent a mean or median measurement, just like the sea level (which varies across the globe). (Image: News18 Creative)
