The edge of space: Revisiting the Karman Line · HackerPapers discussions

The edge of space: Revisiting the Karman Line — mentioned by the8472

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 01:17:38 GMT

Cue the ultimate low orbit satellite > It is undesirable to have a definition that will change with improving technology, so one might argue that the correct way to define space is to pick the lowest altitude at which any satellite can remain in orbit, and thus the lowest ballistic coefficent possible should be adopted - a ten-meter-diameter solid sphere of pure osmium, perhaps, which would have B of 8×10^−6 m^2/kg and an effective Karman line of z(-4) at the tropopause from https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.07894

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The edge of space: Revisiting the Karman Line — mentioned by wolf550e

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 22:35:40 GMT

> The edge of space: Revisiting the Karman Line > Jonathan C. McDowell > In this paper I revisit proposed definitions of the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space, considering orbital and suborbital trajectories used by space vehicles. In particular, I investigate the inner edge of outer space from historical, physical and technological viewpoints and propose 80 kilometers as a more appropriate boundary than the currently popular 100 km Von Kármán line. https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.07894

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