Abstract
Following the selected theoretical approach for the spatial analysis of the outer space, the book begins with a chapter dedicated to the study of its physical properties. The first section deals with fundamental terminology regarding the analysis of the domain. It is followed by presenting two crucial issues connected to the utilization of outer space – astromechanics and analysis of the space environment. An introduction of these two parts is essential in order to understand the physical limitations to human activity in the outer space. Consequently, the chapter draws attention to the basic features of selected celestial bodies located in the inner solar system and the effects of the space environment on living organisms. This establishes a coherent picture of the natural side of the geopolitical understanding of outer space.
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Notes
- 1.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Although there are speculations about the possible undiscovered ninth planet in the far reaches of the solar system or existence of a planet that was “thrown out” from the solar system during its creation.
- 2.
As defined by the International Astronomical Union on its 2006 General Assembly in Prague. See http://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau0603/. Accessed 23 April 2015.
- 3.
All of them except Ceres are located behind the Neptune orbit (although Pluto for a limited period of time regularly orbits closer to the Sun than Neptune).
- 4.
1 AU = average distance from Earth to the Sun.
- 5.
Asteroid belt stretches from 1.7 to 4 AU from the Sun and incorporates about 95% of all asteroids, but their total mass would create a body of only 10% of that of Earth (Elkins-Tanton 2010, p. 92).
- 6.
The issue is faced for example by Israel that is unable to safely launch its vehicles eastward over the territories of the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf due to political reasons (Lele 2013, pp. 36–38).
- 7.
See http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/ion_prop.asp. Accessed 15 July 2017.
- 8.
- 9.
See Dolman (2005), p. 32.
- 10.
- 11.
Also see http://sci.esa.int/mars-express/51056-new-views-of-the-martian-ionosphere/. Accessed 18 September 2017.
- 12.
For more information see http://mars.nasa.gov/allaboutmars/facts/. Accessed 13 January 2015.
- 13.
No human has ever landed on Mars or, in fact, traveled further from the Earth than the lunar orbit.
- 14.
F. Topputo and E. Belbruno calculated that there could be fuel savings if the ship uses the so-called ballistic capture—spaceship would fly in front of the planet and would be caught instead of flying directly on the planet’s orbit. See http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/new-route-to-mars-could-make-manned-mission-much-cheaper-and-easier-9944144.html?cmpid=facebook-post, http://phys.org/news/2014-12-ballistic-capture-cheaper-path-mars.html, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-new-way-to-reach-mars-safely-anytime-and-on-the-cheap/. Accessed 24 January 2015.
- 15.
This probability is lower compared to chance a similar object is located on the lunar surface due to the existence of an atmosphere on Mars as opposed to the Moon.
- 16.
Asteroid belt objects are themselves divided into different groups according to clusters in which they appear—the distribution of asteroids inside the belt is uneven (Elkins-Tanton 2010, p. 93).
- 17.
There are two possible stable orbits for asteroids in relation to planets—first is to stabilize on the orbit similar to the planet with regular close encounters or to be located in planet-Sun Lagrange point—as is the case of Trojans (Elkins-Tanton 2010, p. 80).
- 18.
Interesting issue is the provisional naming of asteroids. The first letter goes to half-month in which the asteroid was found (first half of January is A, second B, etc.), the second letter (I and Z are not used as resembling 1 and 2) is the order in which the object was found (A being first in the half-month, B second, etc.), the indexed number is the number of times the alphabet turned around (27th asteroid in the half-month will be A1), and finally the number is a year of discovery. Nevertheless, most of the objects consequently get properly named (Elkins-Tanton 2010, pp. 12–15).
- 19.
More information on Ceres can be found, for example, on NASA Dawn mission website available at http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/. Accessed 14 January 2015.
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Doboš, B. (2019). Outer Space as a Physical Space. In: Geopolitics of the Outer Space. Contributions to Political Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96857-5_2
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