How High Up Is Space?

Astronomy Classroom Exercise for Grade Levels 5 through 12

How big is the Earth’s atmosphere and where does space begin?
This is a question that many students have trouble picturing and this
activity helps them get a handle on the relative size of the Earth’s
atmosphere and the various ideas about where space starts.

What Will Students Do? Tips and Suggestions

Students construct a scale model in which the • Depending on the age and math skills of the
height of Mount Everest is equal to the students, you can either make the calculations a
thickness (diameter) of a regular pencil. They central part of the activity, or just give them the
then see where various things (such as airplane answers and allow the sense of wonder at the
flights, suborbital flights (like the first two results to be the main thing they get out of it.
NASA Mercury flights and Virgin Galactic
commercial flights), the beginning of space, • We strongly recommend doing Extension 2 at
the International Space Station, etc. fit on the the end of the activity if you can make time.
model. Many students think the Earth’s atmosphere is
much thicker, relative to our planet’s diameter,
than it actually is.

What Will Students Learn?

Concepts Inquiry Skills Big Ideas

• Earth’s atmosphere • Calculating • Models and simulations
• Air versus Space • Measuring • Scale and structure
• Karman Line • Predicting
• Suborbital vs. Orbital spaceflight • Comparing
• Visualizing

Source: This activity was written by Andrew Fraknoi and is © copyright 2010 by Andrew Fraknoi. It was first
published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in The Universe at Your Fingertips 2.0, available as a DVD
compilation of more than 100 classroom exercises available for sale via the ASP’s website, http://www.astrosociety.org.
This version was adapted by Ron Rosano (with permission) for Galactic Unite, an initiative sponsored by Virgin Unite
and Virgin Galactic. Educators may copy this activity for their own classroom use or in non-profit workshops for other
educators. For other uses please contact Andrew Fraknoi at fraknoi@fhda.edu or Ron Rosano at ron@rosano.com
How High Up Is Space?
by Andrew Fraknoi (Foothill College and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific)


Introduction
For this generation of students,
space flight is a routine part of their
cultural experience. Images of astronauts in
space are commonly seen online, as
classroom posters, and in textbook
illustrations. The International Space
Station has been occupied continuously
since November 2, 2000. The transition to
commercial space projects from
government sponsored missions will offer
Procedure
career opportunities for students. Despite
general awareness, most students are pretty
1. First, we want to find out what students’ own
unsure how high above the Earth objects in ideas are about the Earth, its atmosphere and
space really are. This activity is designed to outer space. For younger students, you could
help them get a sense of scale about where ask them to draw a picture that shows the Earth
outer space begins, how far into space Virgin (or part of the Earth), its atmosphere, where
Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo will carry passengers, space begins, and where the International Space
and how far you have to go to get to the Station is located. For older students, you might
International Space Station. ask them to draw these things and also put in
their best estimates in kilometers or miles of
We should also note that scientists, where things are.
engineers, and policy experts don’t always
agree on the exact definition of where the 2. Ask students if they know how tall Mount
Earth’s atmosphere ends and space begins. For Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, is. Let
older students, it’s perfectly OK to expose them them make a series of guesses, before telling
to this disagreement, as a reminder that not them the answer is 8.8 kilometers or 5.5 miles. If
there’s a tall local landmark, include that in the
everything in science is as settled as
discussion. (For example, Mt. Tamalpais, just
introductory science textbooks sometimes
north of San Francisco, is 2,571 feet high, about
imply.
1/10th the height of Mt. Everest.)

3. Now we’ll make a scale model.

Ask them to draw Mount Everest at
the bottom of a sheet of blank
paper and make its height the same
size as the diameter of a standard
No. 2 pencil (7 mm or 9/32 of an
inch). Using that scale, ask them to
show how high above the mountain
space begins. When they are done
making their drawing, they can form
small groups, share their ideas, and
see if their group can agree on an
estimate of how much higher than
Mount Everest the beginning of
space would be. Each group can
produce a final drawing from the
group.
4. Next ask them to show where they think the
International Space Station is orbiting on the same
drawing. Again, after they do their individual
estimate, they should compare within their group and
see if the group agrees on one estimate.

5. You can then ask the groups to report out either

verbally, or by posting their group drawing (with
group names on it) on the class bulletin board.

6. Then distribute the worksheet and ask them to

calculate where the different altitudes are on the Mt.
Everest-is-a-pencil-diameter scale. This can be done
either individually or in groups. (One issue that
always comes up is how to round your answer; how
many decimal places should your answer have. You
can discuss this with them before hand, or let them
struggle with it a bit and then ask them to recommend Give students time to react to this calculation.
the right method of rounding.) Explain that if the Earth is 10 meters or 10 yards wide,
its atmosphere (up to the Kármán line; see the
Note to teacher: The scale works out to be that 1 Background Information sheet) is only 8 cm (about 3
km = 0.08 cm, 10 km = 0.8 cm, 100 km = 8 cm. In British inches) wide. Were the students surprised?
and U.S. units, 1 mile = 0.05 in, 10 mi = 0.5 in, 100 mi = 5
in. (Some teachers like to point out that if the
Earth were shrunk to the size of an apple, the
7. Once they have done the calculations, they can reclaim atmosphere would be the thickness of the skin of the
their group drawing and measure out where things apple.)
actually go. Have a discussion of how their estimates
compared to reality. Does space begin where they Other enlightening comparisons:
thought it would? • if there’s a typical 9” Earth globe handy, open up a
smaller size paper clip and place it on the globe - that’s
Extension Activities the relative thickness of the atmosphere at that scale.

1. For older students, hand out the Background • at the worksheet scale, the moon’s distance would be
Information sheet and then discuss the issue of how to (240,000 * .05) = 12,000 inches = 1,000 feet = 333 yards
define the beginning of space. Ask them what definition = approx. 1/5th of a mile. The Moon’s diameter would
they prefer and to say why. be (33 / 4) = 8.25 feet.
(The moon’s average distance is just under 240,000
2. Now let’s include the entire planet Earth. First ask the miles, and it’s diameter is about 1/4 of Earth’s
students to guess how big the diameter of planet Earth diameter).
would be on our scale. After they have made their own
estimates, you can ask them to calculate the size of the Simulations of views:
Earth on the Mt. Everest-pencil scale. Earth is 12,700 km • Google Earth offers a fun way to experience views
or about 7,918 mi in diameter. from different altitudes. Locate your home town and
see what it looks like from jetliner heights and from
The answer is that on our scale model the Earth space. Also try flying around, accompanied by your
would be 1016 cm = 10.2 meters or 395 inches = 33 feet favorite music. We can also suggest Eric Whitacre’s
wide, about as tall as a three story building. Virtual Choir 3, “Water Night” for SpaceShipTwo
altitudes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3rRaL-
Czxw), or Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, 2nd
movement, for near the International Space Station.


Feedback: Galactic Unite and the ASP welcome your feedback and comments:
galacticunite@virgingalactic.com or education@astrosociety.com

 How High Up Is Space?
Worksheet
We want to figure out a scale model for how high up space begins. For our scale, we will
make Mt. Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, the size of the width of a pencil (7 mm or
0.7 cm). On that scale, how high would airplanes, meteors, and the beginnings of space be?

Location Height Height Scaled Height Scaled

(Km) (Mi) (cm) Height (in)
Mt. Everest 8.8 5.5 0.7 9/32 = 0.28

Where commercial jets fly 8 to 13 5 to 8

Top of the Stratosphere (below which

50 30
99% of the Earth’s air is found)

Where most meteors burn up 75 to 100 47 to 60

US Government officially recognizes

80 50
you as an astronaut

The Kármán Line, where air starts

100 60
becoming too thin to give lift to planes

Target altitude of Virgin Galactic

80 to 110 50 to 66
SpaceShipTwo

International Space Station orbit 422 262

Hubble Space Telescope orbit 560 350

Figuring Out the Scale:

If 8.8 km is 0.7 cm, then each km is ______________ centimeters

If 5.5 mi is 0.28 in, then 1 mile is ______________ inches

Show How You Calculated Your Scale:

 Background Information: How High Up Is Space?
by Andrew Fraknoi (Foothill College and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific)


Do you think that could be a good definition for where

Outer space is fun to think about but hard to pin down. space begins?
Where exactly does the Earth’s atmosphere end and outer
space begin? Our atmosphere doesn’t end in a neat Most experts want to place the beginning even
boundary -- it just kind of thins out until its effects go away. higher. An astronaut is someone who has gone into space,
The higher you go, the thinner the air is. So figuring out and the U.S. government gives astronauts their official
where to put the beginning of space is not so easy! Experts designation when they have gone higher than 50 miles (80
who have thought about this question disagree. km). From 1962 to 1968, eight pilots received astronaut
badges for taking the X-15 rocket-powered experimental
Some people say we should start thinking of space aircraft to altitudes over 50 miles, on 13 different flights,
where humans can’t breathe any more, but this is probably with two flights reaching over 100 Km. While the U.S. uses
too self-centered a definition. Also, people who live at high 80 Km, most countries demand an even greater height
altitudes all their lives can before certifying that a
breathe much thinner air person has been in space.
than those who grow up Their requirement is
near sea level. That roughly 60 miles (100
means this definition km), which is called the
would be different for Kármán Line. Theodore
different people. von Kármán, a Hungarian-
Furthermore, people fly A m e r i c a n a e ro s p a c e
in airplanes (whose engineer, first suggested
cabins are pressurized) at this in the 1950’s as the
much greater heights, dividing line between the
and no one thinks that realms of aeronautics (the
airplanes fly in space. study of how things fly in
Commercial jets fly at air) and astronautics (the
heights of 5 to 8 miles (8 study of how things move
to 13 km). So almost in space). Above this line,
everyone agrees space von Kármán calculated,
should start higher than airplanes, which are lifted
that. by the pressure of air
under their wings, would have to fly faster than the speed
Another definition of where space begins has to do required to orbit the Earth to get enough lift.
with how much of the Earth’s air we are above. Scientists
divide the atmosphere of our planet into several layers. The Today, the international organization that approves
lowest layer, which starts at the surface, where we live, is records for flight uses the Kármán line to define where
called the troposphere and it goes up to an altitude of 4 - 12 space begins. In 1996, when the X Prize Foundation
miles (6 - 20 km). We don’t give one height, because at the established a prize (eventually called the Ansari X Prize) of
equator, where it’s warm, the troposphere extends higher $10 million for the first non-government flight into space,
up than at the poles, where it’s cold. About 80% of the they set the height required to win the prize to be the
Earth’s air is in the troposphere. Kármán line. The winner, SpaceShipOne, flew to a height of
112 km in October 2004. This was a case where 10 million
The next layer up is called the stratosphere, and it dollars hung on the definition of where space began.
starts at the top of the troposphere and goes up to an
altitude of about 30 miles (50 km). About 19% of our air is
in the stratosphere. So by the time you are at the top of the
stratosphere, you are above 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere.