Have you ever wondered at what altitude space begins? Well, did you know that there are some disagreements in determining our boundary with space? So much so that it is possible to mention that there is no consensus on the number of space personnel lost in missions.
The space race, which started with the orbiting of Sputnik 1, the first functional satellite of mankind, by the Soviet Union led to both major breakthroughs and serious disagreements It was the scene.
Probably the largest of these differences of opinion to date, the starting point of space where is the debate. The uncertainty that arises due to the fact that no consensus has been reached on this issue can sometimes even prevent some tragic cases from being classified as tragic cases. In this article, these cases To the tragedy of “Soyuz 11” and how this tragedy has been affected by this uncertainty.
The border accepted by most of the planet: The Karman Line
Hungarian-American scientist Theodore von Kármán over 100 kilometers This limit determined by the United States Armed Forces It is accepted as the standard atmosphere-space boundary by all states and institutions. According to this institution, the standard limit is the sea level. over 80 kilometers designated as.
While there’s no clear reason why the United States doesn’t exactly standardize on the Karman Line, this should give you a replacement for the metric system. a variant of the imperial system You wouldn’t be wrong if they reminded you to use them.
With surprising space leaps many pioneers and the use of rocket engines it produces continuing even today USSR; He owes these successes to the lessons he has learned from the many disasters he has experienced.
Unlike the United States, the Soviet Union’s space doctrine was rather focused on specific purposes. to mark as many firsts as possible was focused. For this reason, Soviet engineers, unlike their American counterparts, constantly had to deal with brand new and experimental systems. Sudden transitions from one task to another require deep focus on a single task and to be as safe as possible often avoided.
One of these missions, “Soyuz 11”, turned into an unprecedented tragedy towards the end, despite achieving its original goal of docking with a space station. When this Soviet spacecraft, which has landed back on Earth, is reached, all three cosmonauts inside it. drowned to death appeared. The three cosmonauts finally He was buried in the Kremlin.
Let us recall the uncertainty caused by the dispute over the space boundary. The question of whether these cosmonauts die in space is a situation that may vary depending on exactly where they drowned. If the events took place above the Karman Line, the three cosmonauts in question in spaceAlthough it took place below the Karman Line, In the world gave life. If it is probable that they perished beyond the Karman Line, they themselves also The only team to die beyond the Karman Line They may have gone down in history as well.
In the past only of states and government agencies Over time, as private companies and billionaires, who are getting richer, entered the sector, emerged from the monopoly of the states.
These efforts, thanks to breakthroughs by private space companies like SpaceX, by CEOs of non-industry companies started to be adopted. One of the most notable of these recently was one of the initiatives of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and British billionaire Richard Branson.
Joining the industry with great ambition, Bezos and Branson embarked on a space race of their own in July 2021. As a result the race If the “Karman Line” is accepted as the border Although Bezos is considered the limit of 80 km line, Branson won. Today, it is still debated who won this race.
To summarize; It can be said that this space boundary issue, which continues to exist even today, has evolved into a mess that can make some tragedies not be space tragedies, but also deprive some space races of a clear winner and wrestle with uncertainty.
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