magic altitudes etc.?

The altitude of 100 km is a magic altitude because it's defined as the beginning of space.

Are there additional magic altitudes like this except the geostationary altitude? If yes a list of these altitudes might be interesting as goals further increasing the XPRIZE CUP competition for maximum altitude. They would be something the public and the competing teams could look at with the question in mind " Who will reach that magic altitude first?" and at least some teams may be struggling for the next magic altitude.

What about magicals concerning maximum number of passengers during one flight, fastest turn-around-time etc.?

What about this idea? What might be the criteria?



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

Complete geostatic orbit altitude off course

(though i dont have a clue how high that is....)

36.000 km is geostationary.

But there may be additional magic altitudes to be identified I suppose. Which do you propose and what are their characteristics and their advantages?



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

The obvious one is ISS orbital altitude. (350km). Even if the X-Cup vehicle doesn't achieve orbital *velocity*, it's still good publicity, and NASA will doubtless make encouraging noises about station replenishment contracts.

Passenger capacity: First vehicle to carry more people in a single launch than the Shuttle does (seven).

Turnaround: First vehicle to turn round in 24 hours. First vehicle to turn round in 1 hour ('kick the tires, light the fires', which Armadillo might actually accomplish).

Y'all can have your magic numbers. My magic number is the first vehicle to make it to Mars. I don't care who's making that ship, or how much it costs; I'm buying one.

Ya have the radiation belts... Each of thems is an important altitude, possibly more so than being "offically" in space because you are suddenly "offically being fried".

Very eloquently put... Fried space kabobs.

I myself add the distance of 43.000 km an asteroid passed earth at earlier this year. Are there more distances of asteroids passing earth closer than 50.000 km in the past?

These altitudes/distances are "magic" because they are providing realistic possibilities for initial mining.

What else to add?



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

Shuttle maximum operating altitude (600km). "Hey NASA, we can go higher than you can, so ner"

What might be magic velocities? Orbit velocity of the moon? Escape velocity at moon, Mars or Earth? GEO-velocity? Velocities of those asteroids passing Earth at the closest distances? ...

...

Seems to be relevant concerning private mining of asteroids or private Mars missions etc..



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

Trans-lunar Injection, baby

Thinking of the altitudes asteroids are passing earth I myself too sometimes randomly thinking of this proposal.

But can such an altitude achieved by suborbital flights? I'm doubting intensively. Only the fact that the moon is orbiting and would be falling to earth at a little less speed suggests that suborbital flights to the altitude of the moon at least theoretically are possible. I propose an maximum apogee-velocity to add that is still parabolic or hyperbolic.



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

In between - the lower and the upper edge of the debris belt should be included. Within the belt of debris there might be other certain edges that should be included too.



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)