Medium-Earth Orbit Begins 300 Miles 0.95
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0.05 g 60,000 miles Geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles - — Hard vacuum 1,000 miles -- Medium-Earth orbit begins 300 miles 0.95 g 100 miles — Low-Earth orbit begins 60 miles Astronaut wings awarded 50 miles —. for ramjet engines 28 miles — Limit for turbojet engines 20 miles, --- Stratosphere begins 10 miles • On the following pages appears a Center History Office; and Air Force variety of information and statistical Space Command Public Affairs Office. Col. Gilbert Siegert, USAF, provided material about space—particularly. • military activity in space. This technical advice. almanac was compiled by the staff of 6,4tr Force Magazine,tith assistance and information from Dr. R. W. • Stuidevant, Air Force Space Command History Office; Tina Figures that appear in this section Thompson, editor of TRW Space Log: will not always agree because of . Phillip S. Clark, Molniya Space different cutoff dates, rounding,. or Consultancy, Whitton, UK; Theresa different methods of reporting. The Foley; Dr. Harry N. Waldron Ill, Air information is intended to illustrate Force Space and Missile Systems trends in space activity. • Compiled by Tamar A. Mehuron, Associate Editor Space Terms Ferret. A satellite whose Remote imaging. Images of primary function is to gather Earth generated from space- electronic intelligence, such craft that provide data for Aerospace. A physical region as microwave, radar, radio, Magnetosphere. A region mapping, construction, made up of Earth's atmo- and voice emissions. dominated by Earth's magneti agriculture, oil and gas sphere and the space beyond. field, which traps charged exploration, news media Geostationary Earth orbit. A particles, including those in services, and the like. Aerospace plane. A single geosynchronous orbit with 0° the Van Allen belts. It begins spacecraft able to operate inclination in which the Rocket. An aerospace vehicle in the upper atmosphere, effectively in both the atmo- spacecraft circles Earth that carries its own fuel and where it overlaps the iono- sphere and space. Also known 22,300 miles above the oxidizer and can operate sphere, and extends several as a "transatmospheric equator and appears from outside Earth's atmosphere. thousand miles farther into vehicle." Earth to be standing still. space. Semisynchronous orbit. An Apogee. The point of greatest Geosynchronous Earth orbit set at an altitude of Medium - Earth orbit (MEO). distance from Earth (or the orbit (GEO). An orbit at 12,834 miles. Satellites in this Flight path between low-Earth moon, a planet, etc.) achieved 22,300 miles that is synchro- orbit revolve around Earth in orbit (about 300 miles in by a body in elliptical orbit. nized with Earth's rotation. If exactly twelve hours. altitude) and geosynchronous Usually expressed as distance a satellite in geosynchronous orbit at an average altitude of Single - stage - to - orbit (SSTO) from Earth's surface. orbit is not at 0° inclination, I 22,300 miles. system. A radically new, its ground path describes a Atmosphere. Earth's envelop- reusable single-stage rocket figure eight as it travels Mesosphere. A region of the I ing sphere of air. that can take off and land around Earth. atmosphere about thirty to fifty I repeatedly and is able to boost Boost phase. Powered flight miles above Earth's surface. I Geosynchronous transfer payloads into orbit. of a ballistic missile—i.e., orbit (GTO). An orbit that Orbital decay. A condition in before the rocket burns out. Stratosphere. That section of originates with the parking which spacecraft lose orbital atmosphere about ten to thirty i orbit and then reaches altitude and orbital energy Burn. The process in which miles above Earth's surface. rocket engines consume fuel oh apogee at the GEO. because of aerodynamic drag other propellant. and other physical forces. Sun - synchronous orbit. A Ground track. An imaginary low-Earth orbit inclined at about line on Earth's surface that Orbital inclination. Angle of Circumterrestrial space. 98° to the equator. At this traces the course of another flight path in space relative to "Inner space" or the atmo- inclination and altitude, a imaginary line between the equator of a planetary spheric region that extends satellite's orbital plane will Earth's center and an orbiting body. Equatorial paths are 00 from sixty miles to about always maintain the same satellite. for flights headed east, 180' for 50,000 miles from Earth's relative orientation to the surface. those headed west. High - Earth orbit (HE0). position of the sun. A formation of Flight path above geosyn- Outer space. Space that Constellation. Thermosphere. The thin chronous altitude (22,300 to extends from about 50,000 spacecraft orbiting for a atmosphere about fifty to 300 60,000 miles from Earth's miles above Earth's surface to specific combined purpose. miles above Earth's surface. It surface). a distance of about 480,000 experiences dramatically Deep space. All space beyond miles. the Earth-moon system, or High - resolution imagery. increased levels of heat from about 480.000 miles Detailed representations of Parking orbit. Flight path in compared to the lower layers. actual objects that satellites which spacecraft go into LEO, altitude outward. Transfer. Any maneuver that produce electronically or circle the globe in a waiting changes a spacecraft orbit. Eccentric orbit. An extremely optically on displays, film, or posture, and then transfer elongated elliptical orbit. other visual devices. payload to a final, higher orbit. Transponder. A radar or radio set that, upon receiving a Ecliptic plane. The plane Inertial upper stage. A two- Payload. Any spacecraft's designated signal, emits a , defined by the circle on the stage solid-rocket motor used crew and/or cargo; the mission radio signal of its own. celestial sphere traced by the to propel heavy satellites into element supported by the path of the sun. mission orbit. spacecraft. Troposphere. The region of the Any non- atmosphere from Earth's Elliptical orbit. Ionosphere. A region of Perigee. The point of mini- surface to about ten miles circular, closed spaceflight electrically charged thin air mum altitude above Earth (or above the equator and five path. layers that begins about thirty the moon, a planet, etc.) miles above the poles. This is miles above Earth's atmo- maintained by a body in Exosphere. The upper limits where most clouds, wind, rain, sphere elliptical orbit. of Earth's atmosphere, ranging and other weather occurs. from about 300 miles altitude Low - Earth orbit (LEO). Period. The amount of time a Van Allen belts. Zones of to about 2.000 miles altitude. Flight path between Earth's spacecraft requires to go intense radiation trapped in atmosphere and the bottom of through one complete orbit. Expendable launch vehicle Earth's magnetosphere that the Van Allen belts, i.e., from (ELV). A launch vehicle that Polar orbit. Earth orbit with a could damage unshielded about sixty to 300 miles cannot be reused after one 90 0 inclination. Spacecraft on spacecraft. altitude. flight. this path could pass over every spot on Earth as Earth rotates under the satellite's orbit (see "orbital inclination"). AIR FORCE Magazine / August 1996 Space Firsts May 24 Atlas D/Agena A Alexei Leonov of Soviet February 11, 1970 Japan booster places MIDAS II, first Voskhod 2. launches first satellite, Osumi, early warning satellite, in orbit. from Kagoshima Space Center March 23 Gemini 3 astronauts using Lambda 4S solid-fuel June 22 US performs first Maj. Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom rocket. February 24, 1949 Project successful launch of multiple and Lt. Cmdr. John W. Young Bumper, the first fully success- independently instrumented complete world's first piloted January 31, 1971 Apollo 14 ful two-stage rocket-launch satellites by a single rocket. orbital maneuver. launched; its astronauts will complete first manned landing into space, reaches a record August 12 First passive June 4 Gemini 4 astronaut on lunar highlands. altitude of 244 miles. communications carried via Maj. Edward H. White July 24, 1950 Bumper-WAC Echo 1 satellite. performs first American April 19 First space station, spacewalk. Salyut 1, goes aloft. becomes first missile launched January 31, 1961 Preparing from Cape Canaveral, Fla. for manned spaceflight, US July 14 Mariner provides the June 6 USSR's Soyuz 11 September 20, 1956 US launches a Mercury capsule first close-up pictures of Mars. performs first successful carrying the chimpanzee Ham docking with Salyut space Jupiter C rocket achieves August 21 Gemini 5 launched on a suborbital trajectory. station. record first flight, reaching an as first manned spacecraft altitude of 682 miles and February 16 Explorer 9 with electrical power other October 28 First British landing 3,400 miles from Cape becomes first satellite than batteries; it is equipped satellite, Prospero, launched Canaveral. launched from Wallops Island, with fuel cells. into orbit on Black Arrow Va. rocket. August 21, 1957 First March 16, 1966 Gemini 8 successful launch of Soviet R7 April 12 Soviet cosmonaut astronauts Neil A. Armstrong November 2 Titan IIIC rocket, which six weeks later Yuri Gagarin pilots Vostok 1 and Maj. David R. Scott launches first Defense will loft Sputnik into orbit. through nearly one orbit to perform first manual docking in Satellite Communications October 4 USSR launches become first human in space. space with Agena rocket System Phase II (DSCS II) stage. satellites into geosynchronous Sputnik 1, the first man-made May 5 Lt. Cmdr. Alan B. orbits. satellite, into Earth orbit. Shepard, Jr., aboard Freedom June 2 Surveyor 1 is first US November 3 First animal in 7 Mercury capsule, becomes spacecraft to land softly on the April 16-27, 1972 Apollo 16 space, a dog, is carried aloft first American in space, moon. It analyzes soil content astronauts Capt. John Young, by Soviet Sputnik 2. climbing to 116.5 miles during and transmits surface images Lt.