If you were born in the 90's, growing up as a child, you definitely would be conversant with the sound of the voices of a bunch of kids running out of the house, leaving any kind of activity they were involved in just to watch an aeroplane soar higher and higher across.. through the skies. The joy of watching something so big when close, seem so little when in the sky.. well that's like two decades ago. Aeroplanes has been taking humans across borders, Infact millions of humans (who can afford it) every single day since the very moment they were first deemed safe and convenient, thus they became the primus inter parae (first amongst equals) for the mass of people who patronise it services. Different aeroplanes fly about five hundred persons out of the airport and just before one can see a movie on a mobile phone, you'd just find yourself in another country, that's actually a very good thing.
Aeroplanes, especially the commercial ones can fly to really high levels in the sky, they go way up high that the only vision available to passengers on board are are just clouds of different shapes and sizes, and well the other passengers on board. At a tender age, I would usually hear the older ones inquire from out parents how and why aeroplanes are able to fly so high, even with such weight, and they are not even as little as bird. Well, the answers to these questions are not so far fetched as during the space of secondary school, you would learn them. Well, that's not the reason why we are here; my question today is what happens if these aerolanes continued to ascend straight up into the sky?! Would they be able to get beyond the sky?! Would they be able to get on well with the thick blackness in space?!. This and more is the aim of this article.
Sitting down to give a serious thought to the question, the very idea of an airplane to be able to do all the above, the human practical mind would only want to give into the though that it's all practically impossible; such thought would pop up instantly. Well, If it weren’t, then person's who are actively involved in sending rockets into outer space, must definitely would have obviously given thought to the possibility of sending aeroplanes into outer space. Looking at the fact that we have never seen aeroplanes jetting off into space definitely puts a seal on the the fate of the hypothesis.
Let's take this discussion a little further, it is a notable fact that every commercial aeroplanes usually fly at an altitude of about twenty nine thousand (29,000) - thirty five thousand (35,000) feet above ground level, but that's really not the highest altitude which they can get to. Aeroplanes could actually go just a little higher than the above stated altitude. However, the only thing here is the fact that a good number of large passenger aeroplanes were not built or designed to exceed beyond fourth thousand (40,000) feet above ground level.
However the only exception to this was the aeroplane called Concorde, it was a supersonic commercial airplane of which had a maximum cruising altitude of 60,000 feet! source Then there was an aeroplane called Helios, designed by NASA, which was able to ascend up to about ninety seven thousand (97,000) feet. Source. Just as I earlier mentioned, this aeroplane was a manufactured product of NASA, you would hardly expect anything less, this is the reason why it's practically very hard to still refer to it as a normal commercial aeroplane.
Minimum distance to space
Taking a continuous ascension upwards in the sky, how is one able to tell the point which one has passed the jurisdiction of earth and entered into space?
Well, to the best of my understanding, the shortest distance to enter ‘space’ is about one hundred (100) kilometers which is sixty-two (62) miles; once an individual has been successfully traversed this distance, it is only at this point which one can only then can have high expectations of crossing the Earth’s boundary and entering into suborbital space, well this is still dependent on if everything that was planned goes as planned; anything could happen. But as earlier afore mentioned, aeroplanes can not even think of ascending to such a height.
Rather dissapointing but turns out to be the simple truth. Okay, now that we have been able to establish answer to the question of aeroplanes being able or not able to enter into space, more questions popped up in the course of answering the first question; it's probably what you are thinking - Yes, the why question...
Why can’t aeroplanes go into space?
Given the limitation placed on aeroplanes which restricts them entering into space, not even leaving the earth; this limitation is as a result of two main factors which are: the availability of fuel and the way aeroplanes are designed. The primary and somewhat only reason why an aeroplane is able to ascend up into the sky is due to the large wings which they have, this large wings are able to generate enough lift to keep them airborne. This lift, in aeroplanes, is generated based on the way which air flows immediately above and immediately below it's large wings, this is what keeps the aeroplane in flight, pushing strongly gainst the earth's gravity. Basically, it is the air which makes it possible for an aeroplane to fly; the only thing the engine of an aeroplane does is to provide the required power which the aeroplane needs to keep it going against the aero-dynamic drag which pushes in an opposite direction.
Given the dependence which an aeroplane has on air, the way in which they operate in the sky is influenced massively by the quality of air available. There is something with altitudes, once it's on an increase, the density of air would ultimately decrease (just like the law of demand and supply), although in this case, initially it would just decrease at a low pace, but then after a while, especially after a certain height; the decrease of the density of air would become rapid and over time even more rapid. Put differently, the air would become increasingly thinner with an increasing altitude, this would continue till it gets to a point where there is no air at all, not even the tinest of it; it's almost like a a vacuum up in the sky. Machines which fly such as aeroplanes and choppers require lift to stay airborne, and this is generated by air. In the absence of air to start with, I really wonder how anyone would even birth the idea of flying an aeroplane at such an altitude. Well, this happens to be the exact reason why helicopters so great difficulties when being used to rescue victims of flying machines crashes who are stranded in regions of high-altitude.
At this point, i think it's imperative to say that an aeroplane, irrespective of how ambitious it might be, would never be able to cross through its comfort zone and attempt to risk protruding the vast expanse of suborbital space
@ gidionline
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References
Spaceplace.NASA - Why can't an airplane just fly into space? Why do we need rockets?
NASA - Why can't we fly a plane to space
NASA - Past Projects: Helios Prototype Solar-Powered Aircraft
The Atlantic - Supersonic Airplanes and the Age of Irrational Technology
I wasn't born in the 90's but I can relate to this; I vividly remember my younger cousin asking me when we where the sky ends?! Lol. Kids.
Great post @gidionline
Am hearing about the Concorde for the first time; would read on it.
Thanks for sharing.
I wasn't born in the 90's but I can relate to this; I vividly remember my younger cousin asking me when we where the sky ends?! Lol. Kids.
Great post @gidionline
Am hearing about the Concorde for the first time; would read on it.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for reading through @prime-armah.
You should read on about the Concorde and even the Helios I dropped a link.
This is good I never asked myself this question
Now that am reading I found it so educative and worth knowing as a mechanical engineer
Thanks for reading through @osariemen
The question popped up as a result of a discussion I had with a flight captain I met on this platform..decided to get an answer for myself.
Glad I could share a little knowledge I gathered.
Lol.
Aeroplanes really got no hope..what if they happen to ascend.
Well, from what I know; the way in which aeroplanes are built already places a limitation on them.
Thanks for dropping by buddy @traviz
Great write @gidionline
I read through your post.. It's simply articulated and easy to comprehend; how do you do it with such a topic - could you teach me?!
Thank you @vanillah
Your words are so kind..
I could be of help to you in little ways, given the fact than I am very much new to the community.. So I'd rather recommend you to join in on the discord server and someone could put you through.
This is a well created article. I like your choice of words and the brevity of the post.
"succinct" is apropos.
Kudos!
Thank you @ temitayo-pelumi.. I just try to put myself into the post; since the @steemstem community requires originality and creativity.
Really appreciate you kind words
Please do keep that pace. You are welcome by the way.
Thank you @temitayo-pelumi
oh how i wish they could.
Lol.
That makes two of us.
Unfortunately, they can't.
All i could do was imagine the "90s" like you said but was not there at the time. It still feels like the sky has no end till today if not for technology, we would still not know that behind this sky, exist some other elements. Good post. Thanks.
Nice of you to stop by @mrxplicit
Technological advancements has really unveiled a lot of things over time.
You brought back memories. Well done
...the childhood memories. Thank you @chidiarua
Actually what you are proposing is called a SSTO - Single Stage To Orbit.
If I were to design one (and I have designed countless in a simulator game called Kerbin Space Program - which is pretty realistic to be called a simulator) I would add a set of swept wings, which are best for very high speed and engines with afterburner. The aircraft would then need oxidizer for the place in space where is no oxygen and then some cold thrusters to maneuver the thing in space, without starting the huge engine. In Space the thrust needed would be low.
The idea would be to take off like a plane and reach supersonic speeds in the higher layers of the atmosphere. The aircraft would point a little up and BAM, the afterburner kicks in. This would get the spacecraft outside of the air which slows it down. After the drag is reduced the nose is tilted down so velocity is building. Eventually, if everything is timed just right, you should get there.
Totally possible! But it would still be a spacecraft, not a plane :D
Hmm.
I loved the fact that you detailed all of these information.
It's Great!! Nothing short of that.
Howbeit, this would resemble the Xenu space plane
:)) Ah, the wonder!
I must convert :)
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