Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom

ourAmazing planet Top to Bottom Earthis Atmosphere 350 km ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE 217 mi- -349 km 348 km orbit of International Space Station (altitude varies) ..............................- due to atmospheric drag the Iss is constantly descending towards Earth. Occasional rocket firings are required to raise the orbit. A: SCROLL DOWN Our atmosphere is divided into layers according to temperature changes, chemical composition and other factors. This outer layer is the THERMOSPHERE • from 53 mi (85 km) up to 430 mi (690 km) altitude • density decreases as you go outward, gradually tapering off into the "Exosphere," also called "outer space" 212 mi- 340 km 211 mi - 210 mi ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE Yang Liwei First Chinese to orbit Earth Shenzhou S (2003) 209 mi- 330 km Yuri Gagarin First person to orbit Earth Vostok I (Soviet Union, 1961) MESOSPHERE 200 mi STRATOSPHERE 320 km TROPOSPHERE SURFACE OF EARTH layers of the atmosphere are visible in this photo from the International Space Station (shuttle Endeavour hangs in the foreground) area of this infographic 310 km 190 mi 300 km I 1832, 1000. the temperature or the Thermosphere seems very high but the air molecules are so few and far apart, they would not heat up your skin 290 km 180 mi 280 km the ionospheres • from 37 to 190 miles (60-300 km) altitude • it contains gas molecules that are positively charged (ionized) by the sun byt • radio waves bounce off of the ionosphere and can travel long distances around the Earth 170 mi 270 km John Glenn first American to orbit Earth "Friendship 7" (1962) 260 km 160 mi Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite (Goce) lowest altitude of any operational scientific research satellite (2010) 250 km 150 mi 240 km auroras are caused by high- energy electrons from space, which hit the atoms in our atmosphere and cause them to emit light. Imagas courtesy of the Image Science k Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center The red and green colors are caused by different wavelengths of light emitted from oxygen atoms. Nitrogen atoms can emit a blue light. 230 km 140 mi 220 km 210 km 130 mi Soyuz altitude at third stage shutdown ed orbital insertion and (est.) 200 km 120 mi 190 km Alan Shepard "Freedom 7" (1961) first American manned space flight, sub-orbital 180 km 110 mi 170 km 100 mi 160 km 150 km 90 mi 140 km 130 km 80 mi 120 km 70 mi SpaceShipOne x-Prize-winning night (privately 110 km ly funded space flight, X-15 пght 91 Joseph A. Walker Space Shuttle altitude at main engine shutdown (est.) • additional rocket firing is required to achieve a stable orbit Kármán line the "edge of space" as defined by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Above this line an aircraft would have to fly faster than orbital velocity to generate enough lift to stay aloft. 100 km .... aeronauticS is defined as aerial activity taking place within 62 miles (100 km) of the surface of the Earth 60 mi 90 km meteors burn up in the atmosphere at an altitude of 45-60 mi (75-100 km) air pressure is measured in "atmospheres sea level is equal to 1 atmosphere PRESSURE 0.00001ATM MESOPAUSE ******* * * *** • boundary between Mesosphere and Thermosphere coldest place on Earth TEMP -185 -120e noctilucent clouds are the highest type of clouds. They can be seen only pht conditions, when they are iluminated by sunlight from below the horizon in certain while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in shadow 50 mi the U.S. Air Force awards astronaut wings to a pilot who has flown higher than 50 miles (80 km) 80 km red sprites and blue jets are types of Transient Luminous Events (TLES). These are huge electrical discharges which appear high in the atmosphere above thunderstorms 70 km approximate altitude of space shuttle PRESSURE 0.0001 ATM Columbia at break-up (2003) MESOSPHERE • from 31 mi (50 km) up to 53 miles (85 km) • temperature decreases with heightt in the mesosphere 40 mi 60 km Apollo 11 Saturn V first stage separation altitude trace gases including carbon dioxide 0.04% 0.93% oxygen 21% composition of Earth's atmosphere Nitrogen 78% The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 parts per million )to 379 ppm in 2005. TEMP SF -15c 50 km STRATOPAUSE boundary between Stratosphere and Mesosphere Soyuz first stage separation altitude O PRESSURE 0.001ATM 30 mi Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster separation altitude STRATOSPHERE • from the Tropopause up to 31 mi (50 km) temperature increases with height in the stratosphere 40 km the sky is blue because: • light bounces off of air molecules because they are smaller than wavelengths of light • violet and blue wavelengths are Ithe most • the human eye sees blue more easily than violet record highest parachute jump by U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger 19.5 mi (31.3 km), 1960 amateur balloons carrying digital cameras ascend to around 100,000 ft PHOTO: JUSTIN HAMEL, CHRIS THOMPSON (2010) 20 mi PRESSURE O 0.01 ATH 30 km ozone layer • 15-35 km (9.3-22 mi) • varies seasonally and geographically • ozone, an oxygen compound, absorbs harmful solar radiation. This helps protect life on Earth. SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane weather occurs mostly in the troposphere, and is ash cloud from Mount St. Helens reached 80,000 t (24.4 km) caused by the sun's heat, the rotation of the Earth, and the water in the air and oceans Highest manned hot-air balloon SUPER TYPHOON JANGMI, 20on 20 km (Vijaypat Singhania, India, 2005) 90% of the mass of the mushroom cloud from 1-megaton nuclear bomb atmosphere is below 52,000 R (16 km) TROPOPAUSE boundary between Troposphere and Stratosphere PRESSURE 0.1 ATM 10 mi A-60 -5le altitude of space shuttle Challenger disintegration (1986) TROPOSPHERE jet streams are narrow bands of high wind (275 mph, 442 kp/h) • from surface up to 4 mi (7 km) at the poles and 12 mi (20 km) at the equator • almost all weather occurs in this layer 10 km airliner cruising altitude L steel-wire kite-fying record (1919) Mt. Everest "Death Zone" ATM above this line, air contains insufficient axygen to support human life mushroom cloud Hiroshima "Little Boy nuclear bomb Cirrus clouds (ice crystals) (1945) PRESSURE 0.5 ATM 50% of the mass of the atmosphere is below an altitude of 18.000 ft (5.6 km) Cumulus cloud (water droplets) O 0,15 ATM PRESSURE Burj Khalifa tallest building Nimbostratus O km PRESSURE D 1.0 ATH Omi Godzilla (1992) SOURCEI NASA, NOAA, USGS, IPCC, National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/1OTD/view.php idm36518 http://eol.jac.nasa.gov http://www.centennialofmight.gov/essay/Theories of Flight/atmosphere/THI.htm http//science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/tb http://www..fal.orp/astreaigise (100 /sts-newsref/sts_mes.teml s/100km.asp Graphic by Karl Tate, OurAmazingPlanet.com ourAmazingplanet Top to Bottom Earths Atmosphere 350 km ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE 217 mi - 349 km -348 km orbit of International Space Station (altitude varies) due to atmospheric drag the Iss is constantly descending towards Earth. Occasional SCROLL DOWN rocket firings are required to raise the orbit. Our atmosphere is divided into layers according to temperature changes, chemical composition and other factors. This outer layer is the THERMOSPHERE • from 53 mi (85 km) up to 430 mi (690 km) altitude • density decreases as you go outward, gradually tapering off into the "Exosphere," also called "outer space" 212 mi – 340 km 211 mi – 210 mi ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE Yang Liwei First Chinese to orbit Earth Shenzhou 5 (2003) 209 mi - 330 km Yuri Gagarin First person to orbit Earth Vostok I (Soviet Union, 1961) MESOSPHERE 200 mi STRATOSPHERE 320 km TROPOSPHERE SURFACE OF EARTH layers of the atmosphere are visible in this photo from the International Space Station (shuttle Endeavour hangs in the foreground) area of this infographic 310 km 190 mi 300 km TEMP A 1832 1000c the temperature of the Thermosphere seems very high but the air molecules are so few and far apart, they would not heat up your skin 290 km 180 mi 280 km the ionosphere s • from 37 to 190 miles (60-300 km) altitude • it contains gas molecules that are positively charged (ionized) by the sun • radio waves bounce off of the ionosphere and can travel long distances around the Earth 170 mi 270 km John Glenn first American to orbit Earth "Friendship 7" (1962) 260 km 160 mi Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite (Goce) lowest altitude of any operational scientific research satellite (2010) 250 km 150 mi 240 km auroras are caused by high- energy electrons from space, which hit the atoms in our atmosphere and cause them to emit light. The red and green colors are caused by different wavelengths of light emitted from oxygen atoms. Nitrogen atoms can emit a blue light. Images courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center 230 km 140 mi 220 km 210 km 130 mi Soyuz altitude at third stage shutdown and orbital insertion (est.) 200 km 120 mi 190 km Alan Shepard "Freedom 7" (1961) first American manned space flight, sub-orbital 180 km 110 mi 170 km 100 mi 160 km 150 km 90 mi 140 km 130 km 80 mi 120 km 70 mi SpaceShipOne 110 km x-Prize-winning flight (privately funded space flight, 2004) X-15 flight 91 Joseph A. Walker (1963) Space Shuttle altitude at main engine shutdown (est.) • additional rocket firing is required to achieve a stable orbit Kármán line the "edge of space" as defined by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Above this line an aircraft would have to fly faster than 1 orbital velocity to generate enough lift to stay aloft. 100 km aeronautics is defined as aerial activity taking place within 62 miles (100 km) of the surface of the Earth 60 mi 90 km meteors burn up in the atmosphere at an altitude of 45-60 mi (75-100 km) air pressure is measured in "atmospheres," sea level is equal to 1 atmosphere PRESSURE O 0.00001ATM MESOPAUSE • boundary between Mesosphere and Thermosphere • coldest place on Earth TEMP A -185F -120c noctilucent clouds are the highest type of clouds. They can be seen only in certain twilight conditions, when they are illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in shadow 50 mi 80 km the U.S. Air Force awards astronaut wings to a pilot who has flown higher than 50 miles (80 km) red sprites and blue jets are types of Transient Luminous Events (TLES). These are huge electrical discharges which appear high in the atmosphere above thunderstorms 70 km approximate altitude of space shuttle Columbia PRESSURE O 0.0001 ATM at break-up (2003) MESOSPHERE • from 31 mi (50 km) up to 53 miles (85 km) • temperature decreases with height in the mesosphere 40 mi 60 km Apollo 11 Saturn V first stage separation altitude argon 0.93% trace gases including carbon dioxide 0.04% oxygen 21% composition of Earth's atmosphere Nitrogen 78% The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 parts per million (ppm) to 379 ppm in 2005. TEMP A 5F-15c 50 km STRATOPAUSE boundary between Stratosphere and Mesosphere Soyuz first stage separation altitude 30 mi PRESSURE O 0.001ATM Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster separation altitude STRATOSPHERE • from the Tropopause up to 31 mi (50 km) • temperature increases with height in the stratosphere 40 km the sky is blue because: • light bounces off of air molecules because they are smaller than wavelengths of light • violet and blue wavelengths are scattered the most • the human eye sees blue more easily than violet record highest parachute jump by U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger 19.5 mi (31.3 km), 1960 amateur balloons carrying digital cameras ascend to around 100,000 ft PHOTO: JUSTIN HAMEL, CHRIS THOMPSON (2010) 20 mi PRESSURE 0.01 ATM 30 km ozone layer • 15-35 km (9.3-22 mi) • varies seasonally and geographically • ozone, an oxygen compound, absorbs harmful solar radiation. This helps protect life on Earth. SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane weather occurs mostly in the troposphere, and is caused by the sun's heat, the ash cloud from Mount St. Helens reached 80,000 ft (24.4 km) rotation of the Earth, and the water in the air and oceans. Highest SUPER TYPHOON JANGMI, 2008 manned hot-air balloon 20 km (Vijaypat Singhania, India, 2005) 90% of the mass of the atmosphere is below 52,000 ft (16 km) mushroom cloud from 1-megaton nuclear bomb TROPOPAUSE 10 mi PRESSURE boundary between Troposphere and Stratosphere 0.1 ATM TEMP A -60 -51c altitude of space shuttle Challenger disintegration (1986) TROPOSPHERE jet streams are narrow bands of high wind (275 mph, 442 kp/h) • from surface up to 4 mi (7 km) at the poles and 12 mi (20 km) at the equator • almost all weather occurs in this layer 10 km airliner cruising altitude steel-wire kite-flying record (1919) Zone" Mt. Everest PRESSURE "D 0.33 ATM ..... .. . above this line, air contains insufficient oxygen to support human life mushroom cloud Hiroshima "Little Boy" nuclear bomb (1945) Cirrus clouds (ice crystals) PRESSURE O 0.5 ATM 50% of the mass of the atmosphere is below an altitude of 18,000 ft (5.6 km) Cumulus cloud (water droplets) PRESSURE O0.15 ATM Burj Khalifa tallest building Nimbostratus rain cloud O km PRESSURE O 1.0 ATM Omi Godzilla (1992) SOURCE: NASA, NOAA, USGS, IPCC, National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36518 http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/atmosphere/TH1.htm http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts_mes.html http://www.fai.org/astronautics/100km.asp Graphic by Karl Tate, OurAmazingPlanet.com (6,371 km) | | | | ourAmazingplanet Top to Bottom Earths Atmosphere 350 km ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE 217 mi - 349 km -348 km orbit of International Space Station (altitude varies) due to atmospheric drag the Iss is constantly descending towards Earth. Occasional SCROLL DOWN rocket firings are required to raise the orbit. Our atmosphere is divided into layers according to temperature changes, chemical composition and other factors. This outer layer is the THERMOSPHERE • from 53 mi (85 km) up to 430 mi (690 km) altitude • density decreases as you go outward, gradually tapering off into the "Exosphere," also called "outer space" 212 mi – 340 km 211 mi – 210 mi ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE Yang Liwei First Chinese to orbit Earth Shenzhou 5 (2003) 209 mi - 330 km Yuri Gagarin First person to orbit Earth Vostok I (Soviet Union, 1961) MESOSPHERE 200 mi STRATOSPHERE 320 km TROPOSPHERE SURFACE OF EARTH layers of the atmosphere are visible in this photo from the International Space Station (shuttle Endeavour hangs in the foreground) area of this infographic 310 km 190 mi 300 km TEMP A 1832 1000c the temperature of the Thermosphere seems very high but the air molecules are so few and far apart, they would not heat up your skin 290 km 180 mi 280 km the ionosphere s • from 37 to 190 miles (60-300 km) altitude • it contains gas molecules that are positively charged (ionized) by the sun • radio waves bounce off of the ionosphere and can travel long distances around the Earth 170 mi 270 km John Glenn first American to orbit Earth "Friendship 7" (1962) 260 km 160 mi Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite (Goce) lowest altitude of any operational scientific research satellite (2010) 250 km 150 mi 240 km auroras are caused by high- energy electrons from space, which hit the atoms in our atmosphere and cause them to emit light. The red and green colors are caused by different wavelengths of light emitted from oxygen atoms. Nitrogen atoms can emit a blue light. Images courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center 230 km 140 mi 220 km 210 km 130 mi Soyuz altitude at third stage shutdown and orbital insertion (est.) 200 km 120 mi 190 km Alan Shepard "Freedom 7" (1961) first American manned space flight, sub-orbital 180 km 110 mi 170 km 100 mi 160 km 150 km 90 mi 140 km 130 km 80 mi 120 km 70 mi SpaceShipOne 110 km x-Prize-winning flight (privately funded space flight, 2004) X-15 flight 91 Joseph A. Walker (1963) Space Shuttle altitude at main engine shutdown (est.) • additional rocket firing is required to achieve a stable orbit Kármán line the "edge of space" as defined by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Above this line an aircraft would have to fly faster than 1 orbital velocity to generate enough lift to stay aloft. 100 km aeronautics is defined as aerial activity taking place within 62 miles (100 km) of the surface of the Earth 60 mi 90 km meteors burn up in the atmosphere at an altitude of 45-60 mi (75-100 km) air pressure is measured in "atmospheres," sea level is equal to 1 atmosphere PRESSURE O 0.00001ATM MESOPAUSE • boundary between Mesosphere and Thermosphere • coldest place on Earth TEMP A -185F -120c noctilucent clouds are the highest type of clouds. They can be seen only in certain twilight conditions, when they are illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in shadow 50 mi 80 km the U.S. Air Force awards astronaut wings to a pilot who has flown higher than 50 miles (80 km) red sprites and blue jets are types of Transient Luminous Events (TLES). These are huge electrical discharges which appear high in the atmosphere above thunderstorms 70 km approximate altitude of space shuttle Columbia PRESSURE O 0.0001 ATM at break-up (2003) MESOSPHERE • from 31 mi (50 km) up to 53 miles (85 km) • temperature decreases with height in the mesosphere 40 mi 60 km Apollo 11 Saturn V first stage separation altitude argon 0.93% trace gases including carbon dioxide 0.04% oxygen 21% composition of Earth's atmosphere Nitrogen 78% The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 parts per million (ppm) to 379 ppm in 2005. TEMP A 5F-15c 50 km STRATOPAUSE boundary between Stratosphere and Mesosphere Soyuz first stage separation altitude 30 mi PRESSURE O 0.001ATM Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster separation altitude STRATOSPHERE • from the Tropopause up to 31 mi (50 km) • temperature increases with height in the stratosphere 40 km the sky is blue because: • light bounces off of air molecules because they are smaller than wavelengths of light • violet and blue wavelengths are scattered the most • the human eye sees blue more easily than violet record highest parachute jump by U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger 19.5 mi (31.3 km), 1960 amateur balloons carrying digital cameras ascend to around 100,000 ft PHOTO: JUSTIN HAMEL, CHRIS THOMPSON (2010) 20 mi PRESSURE 0.01 ATM 30 km ozone layer • 15-35 km (9.3-22 mi) • varies seasonally and geographically • ozone, an oxygen compound, absorbs harmful solar radiation. This helps protect life on Earth. SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane weather occurs mostly in the troposphere, and is caused by the sun's heat, the ash cloud from Mount St. Helens reached 80,000 ft (24.4 km) rotation of the Earth, and the water in the air and oceans. Highest SUPER TYPHOON JANGMI, 2008 manned hot-air balloon 20 km (Vijaypat Singhania, India, 2005) 90% of the mass of the atmosphere is below 52,000 ft (16 km) mushroom cloud from 1-megaton nuclear bomb TROPOPAUSE 10 mi PRESSURE boundary between Troposphere and Stratosphere 0.1 ATM TEMP A -60 -51c altitude of space shuttle Challenger disintegration (1986) TROPOSPHERE jet streams are narrow bands of high wind (275 mph, 442 kp/h) • from surface up to 4 mi (7 km) at the poles and 12 mi (20 km) at the equator • almost all weather occurs in this layer 10 km airliner cruising altitude steel-wire kite-flying record (1919) Zone" Mt. Everest PRESSURE "D 0.33 ATM ..... .. . above this line, air contains insufficient oxygen to support human life mushroom cloud Hiroshima "Little Boy" nuclear bomb (1945) Cirrus clouds (ice crystals) PRESSURE O 0.5 ATM 50% of the mass of the atmosphere is below an altitude of 18,000 ft (5.6 km) Cumulus cloud (water droplets) PRESSURE O0.15 ATM Burj Khalifa tallest building Nimbostratus rain cloud O km PRESSURE O 1.0 ATM Omi Godzilla (1992) SOURCE: NASA, NOAA, USGS, IPCC, National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36518 http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/atmosphere/TH1.htm http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts_mes.html http://www.fai.org/astronautics/100km.asp Graphic by Karl Tate, OurAmazingPlanet.com (6,371 km) | | | | ourAmazingplanet Top to Bottom Earths Atmosphere 350 km ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE 217 mi - 349 km -348 km orbit of International Space Station (altitude varies) due to atmospheric drag the Iss is constantly descending towards Earth. Occasional SCROLL DOWN rocket firings are required to raise the orbit. Our atmosphere is divided into layers according to temperature changes, chemical composition and other factors. This outer layer is the THERMOSPHERE • from 53 mi (85 km) up to 430 mi (690 km) altitude • density decreases as you go outward, gradually tapering off into the "Exosphere," also called "outer space" 212 mi – 340 km 211 mi – 210 mi ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE Yang Liwei First Chinese to orbit Earth Shenzhou 5 (2003) 209 mi - 330 km Yuri Gagarin First person to orbit Earth Vostok I (Soviet Union, 1961) MESOSPHERE 200 mi STRATOSPHERE 320 km TROPOSPHERE SURFACE OF EARTH layers of the atmosphere are visible in this photo from the International Space Station (shuttle Endeavour hangs in the foreground) area of this infographic 310 km 190 mi 300 km TEMP A 1832 1000c the temperature of the Thermosphere seems very high but the air molecules are so few and far apart, they would not heat up your skin 290 km 180 mi 280 km the ionosphere s • from 37 to 190 miles (60-300 km) altitude • it contains gas molecules that are positively charged (ionized) by the sun • radio waves bounce off of the ionosphere and can travel long distances around the Earth 170 mi 270 km John Glenn first American to orbit Earth "Friendship 7" (1962) 260 km 160 mi Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite (Goce) lowest altitude of any operational scientific research satellite (2010) 250 km 150 mi 240 km auroras are caused by high- energy electrons from space, which hit the atoms in our atmosphere and cause them to emit light. The red and green colors are caused by different wavelengths of light emitted from oxygen atoms. Nitrogen atoms can emit a blue light. Images courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center 230 km 140 mi 220 km 210 km 130 mi Soyuz altitude at third stage shutdown and orbital insertion (est.) 200 km 120 mi 190 km Alan Shepard "Freedom 7" (1961) first American manned space flight, sub-orbital 180 km 110 mi 170 km 100 mi 160 km 150 km 90 mi 140 km 130 km 80 mi 120 km 70 mi SpaceShipOne 110 km x-Prize-winning flight (privately funded space flight, 2004) X-15 flight 91 Joseph A. Walker (1963) Space Shuttle altitude at main engine shutdown (est.) • additional rocket firing is required to achieve a stable orbit Kármán line the "edge of space" as defined by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Above this line an aircraft would have to fly faster than 1 orbital velocity to generate enough lift to stay aloft. 100 km aeronautics is defined as aerial activity taking place within 62 miles (100 km) of the surface of the Earth 60 mi 90 km meteors burn up in the atmosphere at an altitude of 45-60 mi (75-100 km) air pressure is measured in "atmospheres," sea level is equal to 1 atmosphere PRESSURE O 0.00001ATM MESOPAUSE • boundary between Mesosphere and Thermosphere • coldest place on Earth TEMP A -185F -120c noctilucent clouds are the highest type of clouds. They can be seen only in certain twilight conditions, when they are illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in shadow 50 mi 80 km the U.S. Air Force awards astronaut wings to a pilot who has flown higher than 50 miles (80 km) red sprites and blue jets are types of Transient Luminous Events (TLES). These are huge electrical discharges which appear high in the atmosphere above thunderstorms 70 km approximate altitude of space shuttle Columbia PRESSURE O 0.0001 ATM at break-up (2003) MESOSPHERE • from 31 mi (50 km) up to 53 miles (85 km) • temperature decreases with height in the mesosphere 40 mi 60 km Apollo 11 Saturn V first stage separation altitude argon 0.93% trace gases including carbon dioxide 0.04% oxygen 21% composition of Earth's atmosphere Nitrogen 78% The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 parts per million (ppm) to 379 ppm in 2005. TEMP A 5F-15c 50 km STRATOPAUSE boundary between Stratosphere and Mesosphere Soyuz first stage separation altitude 30 mi PRESSURE O 0.001ATM Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster separation altitude STRATOSPHERE • from the Tropopause up to 31 mi (50 km) • temperature increases with height in the stratosphere 40 km the sky is blue because: • light bounces off of air molecules because they are smaller than wavelengths of light • violet and blue wavelengths are scattered the most • the human eye sees blue more easily than violet record highest parachute jump by U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger 19.5 mi (31.3 km), 1960 amateur balloons carrying digital cameras ascend to around 100,000 ft PHOTO: JUSTIN HAMEL, CHRIS THOMPSON (2010) 20 mi PRESSURE 0.01 ATM 30 km ozone layer • 15-35 km (9.3-22 mi) • varies seasonally and geographically • ozone, an oxygen compound, absorbs harmful solar radiation. This helps protect life on Earth. SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane weather occurs mostly in the troposphere, and is caused by the sun's heat, the ash cloud from Mount St. Helens reached 80,000 ft (24.4 km) rotation of the Earth, and the water in the air and oceans. Highest SUPER TYPHOON JANGMI, 2008 manned hot-air balloon 20 km (Vijaypat Singhania, India, 2005) 90% of the mass of the atmosphere is below 52,000 ft (16 km) mushroom cloud from 1-megaton nuclear bomb TROPOPAUSE 10 mi PRESSURE boundary between Troposphere and Stratosphere 0.1 ATM TEMP A -60 -51c altitude of space shuttle Challenger disintegration (1986) TROPOSPHERE jet streams are narrow bands of high wind (275 mph, 442 kp/h) • from surface up to 4 mi (7 km) at the poles and 12 mi (20 km) at the equator • almost all weather occurs in this layer 10 km airliner cruising altitude steel-wire kite-flying record (1919) Zone" Mt. Everest PRESSURE "D 0.33 ATM ..... .. . above this line, air contains insufficient oxygen to support human life mushroom cloud Hiroshima "Little Boy" nuclear bomb (1945) Cirrus clouds (ice crystals) PRESSURE O 0.5 ATM 50% of the mass of the atmosphere is below an altitude of 18,000 ft (5.6 km) Cumulus cloud (water droplets) PRESSURE O0.15 ATM Burj Khalifa tallest building Nimbostratus rain cloud O km PRESSURE O 1.0 ATM Omi Godzilla (1992) SOURCE: NASA, NOAA, USGS, IPCC, National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36518 http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/atmosphere/TH1.htm http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts_mes.html http://www.fai.org/astronautics/100km.asp Graphic by Karl Tate, OurAmazingPlanet.com (6,371 km) | | | | ourAmazingplanet Top to Bottom Earths Atmosphere 350 km ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE 217 mi - 349 km -348 km orbit of International Space Station (altitude varies) due to atmospheric drag the Iss is constantly descending towards Earth. Occasional SCROLL DOWN rocket firings are required to raise the orbit. Our atmosphere is divided into layers according to temperature changes, chemical composition and other factors. This outer layer is the THERMOSPHERE • from 53 mi (85 km) up to 430 mi (690 km) altitude • density decreases as you go outward, gradually tapering off into the "Exosphere," also called "outer space" 212 mi – 340 km 211 mi – 210 mi ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE Yang Liwei First Chinese to orbit Earth Shenzhou 5 (2003) 209 mi - 330 km Yuri Gagarin First person to orbit Earth Vostok I (Soviet Union, 1961) MESOSPHERE 200 mi STRATOSPHERE 320 km TROPOSPHERE SURFACE OF EARTH layers of the atmosphere are visible in this photo from the International Space Station (shuttle Endeavour hangs in the foreground) area of this infographic 310 km 190 mi 300 km TEMP A 1832 1000c the temperature of the Thermosphere seems very high but the air molecules are so few and far apart, they would not heat up your skin 290 km 180 mi 280 km the ionosphere s • from 37 to 190 miles (60-300 km) altitude • it contains gas molecules that are positively charged (ionized) by the sun • radio waves bounce off of the ionosphere and can travel long distances around the Earth 170 mi 270 km John Glenn first American to orbit Earth "Friendship 7" (1962) 260 km 160 mi Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite (Goce) lowest altitude of any operational scientific research satellite (2010) 250 km 150 mi 240 km auroras are caused by high- energy electrons from space, which hit the atoms in our atmosphere and cause them to emit light. The red and green colors are caused by different wavelengths of light emitted from oxygen atoms. Nitrogen atoms can emit a blue light. Images courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center 230 km 140 mi 220 km 210 km 130 mi Soyuz altitude at third stage shutdown and orbital insertion (est.) 200 km 120 mi 190 km Alan Shepard "Freedom 7" (1961) first American manned space flight, sub-orbital 180 km 110 mi 170 km 100 mi 160 km 150 km 90 mi 140 km 130 km 80 mi 120 km 70 mi SpaceShipOne 110 km x-Prize-winning flight (privately funded space flight, 2004) X-15 flight 91 Joseph A. Walker (1963) Space Shuttle altitude at main engine shutdown (est.) • additional rocket firing is required to achieve a stable orbit Kármán line the "edge of space" as defined by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Above this line an aircraft would have to fly faster than 1 orbital velocity to generate enough lift to stay aloft. 100 km aeronautics is defined as aerial activity taking place within 62 miles (100 km) of the surface of the Earth 60 mi 90 km meteors burn up in the atmosphere at an altitude of 45-60 mi (75-100 km) air pressure is measured in "atmospheres," sea level is equal to 1 atmosphere PRESSURE O 0.00001ATM MESOPAUSE • boundary between Mesosphere and Thermosphere • coldest place on Earth TEMP A -185F -120c noctilucent clouds are the highest type of clouds. They can be seen only in certain twilight conditions, when they are illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in shadow 50 mi 80 km the U.S. Air Force awards astronaut wings to a pilot who has flown higher than 50 miles (80 km) red sprites and blue jets are types of Transient Luminous Events (TLES). These are huge electrical discharges which appear high in the atmosphere above thunderstorms 70 km approximate altitude of space shuttle Columbia PRESSURE O 0.0001 ATM at break-up (2003) MESOSPHERE • from 31 mi (50 km) up to 53 miles (85 km) • temperature decreases with height in the mesosphere 40 mi 60 km Apollo 11 Saturn V first stage separation altitude argon 0.93% trace gases including carbon dioxide 0.04% oxygen 21% composition of Earth's atmosphere Nitrogen 78% The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 parts per million (ppm) to 379 ppm in 2005. TEMP A 5F-15c 50 km STRATOPAUSE boundary between Stratosphere and Mesosphere Soyuz first stage separation altitude 30 mi PRESSURE O 0.001ATM Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster separation altitude STRATOSPHERE • from the Tropopause up to 31 mi (50 km) • temperature increases with height in the stratosphere 40 km the sky is blue because: • light bounces off of air molecules because they are smaller than wavelengths of light • violet and blue wavelengths are scattered the most • the human eye sees blue more easily than violet record highest parachute jump by U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger 19.5 mi (31.3 km), 1960 amateur balloons carrying digital cameras ascend to around 100,000 ft PHOTO: JUSTIN HAMEL, CHRIS THOMPSON (2010) 20 mi PRESSURE 0.01 ATM 30 km ozone layer • 15-35 km (9.3-22 mi) • varies seasonally and geographically • ozone, an oxygen compound, absorbs harmful solar radiation. This helps protect life on Earth. SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane weather occurs mostly in the troposphere, and is caused by the sun's heat, the ash cloud from Mount St. Helens reached 80,000 ft (24.4 km) rotation of the Earth, and the water in the air and oceans. Highest SUPER TYPHOON JANGMI, 2008 manned hot-air balloon 20 km (Vijaypat Singhania, India, 2005) 90% of the mass of the atmosphere is below 52,000 ft (16 km) mushroom cloud from 1-megaton nuclear bomb TROPOPAUSE 10 mi PRESSURE boundary between Troposphere and Stratosphere 0.1 ATM TEMP A -60 -51c altitude of space shuttle Challenger disintegration (1986) TROPOSPHERE jet streams are narrow bands of high wind (275 mph, 442 kp/h) • from surface up to 4 mi (7 km) at the poles and 12 mi (20 km) at the equator • almost all weather occurs in this layer 10 km airliner cruising altitude steel-wire kite-flying record (1919) Zone" Mt. Everest PRESSURE "D 0.33 ATM ..... .. . above this line, air contains insufficient oxygen to support human life mushroom cloud Hiroshima "Little Boy" nuclear bomb (1945) Cirrus clouds (ice crystals) PRESSURE O 0.5 ATM 50% of the mass of the atmosphere is below an altitude of 18,000 ft (5.6 km) Cumulus cloud (water droplets) PRESSURE O0.15 ATM Burj Khalifa tallest building Nimbostratus rain cloud O km PRESSURE O 1.0 ATM Omi Godzilla (1992) SOURCE: NASA, NOAA, USGS, IPCC, National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36518 http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/atmosphere/TH1.htm http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts_mes.html http://www.fai.org/astronautics/100km.asp Graphic by Karl Tate, OurAmazingPlanet.com (6,371 km) | | | | ourAmazingplanet Top to Bottom Earths Atmosphere 350 km ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE 217 mi - 349 km -348 km orbit of International Space Station (altitude varies) due to atmospheric drag the Iss is constantly descending towards Earth. Occasional SCROLL DOWN rocket firings are required to raise the orbit. Our atmosphere is divided into layers according to temperature changes, chemical composition and other factors. This outer layer is the THERMOSPHERE • from 53 mi (85 km) up to 430 mi (690 km) altitude • density decreases as you go outward, gradually tapering off into the "Exosphere," also called "outer space" 212 mi – 340 km 211 mi – 210 mi ALTITUDE ABOVE EARTH'S SURFACE Yang Liwei First Chinese to orbit Earth Shenzhou 5 (2003) 209 mi - 330 km Yuri Gagarin First person to orbit Earth Vostok I (Soviet Union, 1961) MESOSPHERE 200 mi STRATOSPHERE 320 km TROPOSPHERE SURFACE OF EARTH layers of the atmosphere are visible in this photo from the International Space Station (shuttle Endeavour hangs in the foreground) area of this infographic 310 km 190 mi 300 km TEMP A 1832 1000c the temperature of the Thermosphere seems very high but the air molecules are so few and far apart, they would not heat up your skin 290 km 180 mi 280 km the ionosphere s • from 37 to 190 miles (60-300 km) altitude • it contains gas molecules that are positively charged (ionized) by the sun • radio waves bounce off of the ionosphere and can travel long distances around the Earth 170 mi 270 km John Glenn first American to orbit Earth "Friendship 7" (1962) 260 km 160 mi Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite (Goce) lowest altitude of any operational scientific research satellite (2010) 250 km 150 mi 240 km auroras are caused by high- energy electrons from space, which hit the atoms in our atmosphere and cause them to emit light. The red and green colors are caused by different wavelengths of light emitted from oxygen atoms. Nitrogen atoms can emit a blue light. Images courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center 230 km 140 mi 220 km 210 km 130 mi Soyuz altitude at third stage shutdown and orbital insertion (est.) 200 km 120 mi 190 km Alan Shepard "Freedom 7" (1961) first American manned space flight, sub-orbital 180 km 110 mi 170 km 100 mi 160 km 150 km 90 mi 140 km 130 km 80 mi 120 km 70 mi SpaceShipOne 110 km x-Prize-winning flight (privately funded space flight, 2004) X-15 flight 91 Joseph A. Walker (1963) Space Shuttle altitude at main engine shutdown (est.) • additional rocket firing is required to achieve a stable orbit Kármán line the "edge of space" as defined by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Above this line an aircraft would have to fly faster than 1 orbital velocity to generate enough lift to stay aloft. 100 km aeronautics is defined as aerial activity taking place within 62 miles (100 km) of the surface of the Earth 60 mi 90 km meteors burn up in the atmosphere at an altitude of 45-60 mi (75-100 km) air pressure is measured in "atmospheres," sea level is equal to 1 atmosphere PRESSURE O 0.00001ATM MESOPAUSE • boundary between Mesosphere and Thermosphere • coldest place on Earth TEMP A -185F -120c noctilucent clouds are the highest type of clouds. They can be seen only in certain twilight conditions, when they are illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in shadow 50 mi 80 km the U.S. Air Force awards astronaut wings to a pilot who has flown higher than 50 miles (80 km) red sprites and blue jets are types of Transient Luminous Events (TLES). These are huge electrical discharges which appear high in the atmosphere above thunderstorms 70 km approximate altitude of space shuttle Columbia PRESSURE O 0.0001 ATM at break-up (2003) MESOSPHERE • from 31 mi (50 km) up to 53 miles (85 km) • temperature decreases with height in the mesosphere 40 mi 60 km Apollo 11 Saturn V first stage separation altitude argon 0.93% trace gases including carbon dioxide 0.04% oxygen 21% composition of Earth's atmosphere Nitrogen 78% The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 parts per million (ppm) to 379 ppm in 2005. TEMP A 5F-15c 50 km STRATOPAUSE boundary between Stratosphere and Mesosphere Soyuz first stage separation altitude 30 mi PRESSURE O 0.001ATM Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster separation altitude STRATOSPHERE • from the Tropopause up to 31 mi (50 km) • temperature increases with height in the stratosphere 40 km the sky is blue because: • light bounces off of air molecules because they are smaller than wavelengths of light • violet and blue wavelengths are scattered the most • the human eye sees blue more easily than violet record highest parachute jump by U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger 19.5 mi (31.3 km), 1960 amateur balloons carrying digital cameras ascend to around 100,000 ft PHOTO: JUSTIN HAMEL, CHRIS THOMPSON (2010) 20 mi PRESSURE 0.01 ATM 30 km ozone layer • 15-35 km (9.3-22 mi) • varies seasonally and geographically • ozone, an oxygen compound, absorbs harmful solar radiation. This helps protect life on Earth. SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane weather occurs mostly in the troposphere, and is caused by the sun's heat, the ash cloud from Mount St. Helens reached 80,000 ft (24.4 km) rotation of the Earth, and the water in the air and oceans. Highest SUPER TYPHOON JANGMI, 2008 manned hot-air balloon 20 km (Vijaypat Singhania, India, 2005) 90% of the mass of the atmosphere is below 52,000 ft (16 km) mushroom cloud from 1-megaton nuclear bomb TROPOPAUSE 10 mi PRESSURE boundary between Troposphere and Stratosphere 0.1 ATM TEMP A -60 -51c altitude of space shuttle Challenger disintegration (1986) TROPOSPHERE jet streams are narrow bands of high wind (275 mph, 442 kp/h) • from surface up to 4 mi (7 km) at the poles and 12 mi (20 km) at the equator • almost all weather occurs in this layer 10 km airliner cruising altitude steel-wire kite-flying record (1919) Zone" Mt. Everest PRESSURE "D 0.33 ATM ..... .. . above this line, air contains insufficient oxygen to support human life mushroom cloud Hiroshima "Little Boy" nuclear bomb (1945) Cirrus clouds (ice crystals) PRESSURE O 0.5 ATM 50% of the mass of the atmosphere is below an altitude of 18,000 ft (5.6 km) Cumulus cloud (water droplets) PRESSURE O0.15 ATM Burj Khalifa tallest building Nimbostratus rain cloud O km PRESSURE O 1.0 ATM Omi Godzilla (1992) SOURCE: NASA, NOAA, USGS, IPCC, National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36518 http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Theories_of_Flight/atmosphere/TH1.htm http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts_mes.html http://www.fai.org/astronautics/100km.asp Graphic by Karl Tate, OurAmazingPlanet.com (6,371 km) | | | |