How Come NASA Says Deep Space Is So Close?

1. NASA's definition of deep space is geocentric, but should be heliocentric: it doesn't take into account that the Earth revolves around the sun.
2. Proximity: Mars is actually very close to us! The current definition of deep space is exactly equal to how far away from the earth humans have ever explored. This is fine for the moment, but when humans start exploring farther (which will happen before you know it) it won't make sense.
3. Scale: If you look at the bigger picture, cislunar space (the Moon) is very very close to the Earth.

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After you exit the Earth's atmosphere and cross what most have agreed upon as the border of space, we call the karman line, you enter an area inbetween the Earth and the Moon we call Cislunar Space. Deep Space has been defined by the United States and other governments as any region beyond cislunar space. Sure it took 3 days for Apollo astronauts to reach the moon traveling at 24 thousand miles per hour, or 38 thousand kilometers per hour. So the moon is quite far away in that respect. In fact at the time of publishing this video, no human has ever ventured father than orbiting around the far side of the moon. However, if you look at the bigger picture, cislunar space is actually REALLY REALLY close to us.

If you're wondering why I didn't mention RADIATION in the video...
Yes, as soon as you leave the Earth you are still protected by the Van Allen radiation belt, which is a zone of energetic charged particles that is held around the Earth planet by the planet's magnetic field. Once you exit the radiation belt, for example if you were on your way to the moon or beyond, you would suddenly find yourself in an environment that has higher radiation. NASA has referred to this as a "deep space" radiation environment even though that environment is extremely close to the earth. In fact, you wouldn't have to go very far from the Earth at all to exit the belt. IMHO 58,000 kilometers should definitely not be considered "deep space"

What should the border of deep space really be defined as? I think leaving it as anything past the moon or even 5 times that - is fine for 2020, but as we start landing humans on mars and beyond which we are most certainly going to do THIS DECADE, we should probably start thinking of deep space as anything past the asteroid belt, or at least anything past mars.

Perhaps it's best to shoot even farther and make sure we future proof this. Let's say anything within 4 AU from the Sun should be called "INNER SPACE." Anything farther than the Astroid Belt but still inside the Solar System should be called "OUTER SPACE." And leave deep space to describe "INTERSTELLAR SPACE" which means the rest of the Galaxy outside of our Solar System.

Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCjhCL2iqlQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAsm8Nkfjbk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhSkpmhMW-I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDzeze2Rp-A

#Space #DeepSpace #Scale

Видео How Come NASA Says Deep Space Is So Close? канала smallstars