News tagged with air
NASA OKs Feb. launch of private space station trip
A private California company will attempt the first-ever commercial cargo run to the International Space Station in February.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 09, 2011 |
4.9 / 5 (22) |
20
Future NASA mission to sun 'a life's dream' for some
The chest-high rack of electronics Justin Kasper is assembling in a Massachusetts office park will fit in a shoe box before he's done.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Mar 16, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (24) |
10
Food crops damaged by pollution crossing continents
(PhysOrg.com) -- Man-made air pollution from North America causes Europe to lose 1.2 million tonnes of wheat a year, a new study has found.
Jan 30, 2012 |
4.4 / 5 (17) |
21
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New research may explain why serious thunderstorms and tornados are less prevalent on the weekends
(PhysOrg.com) -- For much of the last century, people in parts of the United States have come to notice that just as they got the weekends off to relax, so too did it seem, did serious weather. Big booming ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 22, 2011 |
4.3 / 5 (16) |
19
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Eos says zinc battery recipe is energy game-changer
(PhysOrg.com) -- Tall order in energy storage: Find the right technology that delivers the holy grail of the grid, a viable solution for energy storage (tough). A startup from Easton, Pennsylvania claims it’s ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
Jan 04, 2012 |
4.2 / 5 (15) |
7
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'Anonymous' hackers target US security think tank
Hackers with the loose-knit movement "Anonymous" claimed on Sunday to have stolen a raft of emails and credit card data from U.S.-based security think tank Stratfor, promising it was just the start of a weeklong, ...
Dec 25, 2011 |
5 / 5 (11) |
96
Future forests may soak up more carbon dioxide than previously believed
North American forests appear to have a greater capacity to soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas than researchers had previously anticipated.
Oct 13, 2011 |
4.5 / 5 (12) |
7
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Virus hits US drone fleet: report
A computer virus has hit the US Predator and Reaper drone fleet that Washington deploys to hunt down militants, logging the keystrokes of pilots remotely flying missions, Wired magazine reported.
Oct 09, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (11) |
19
NASA twin spacecraft GRAIL on final approach for moon orbit
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's twin spacecraft to study the moon from crust to core are nearing their New Year's Eve and New Year's Day main-engine burns to place the duo in lunar orbit.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 28, 2011 |
4 / 5 (13) |
8
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NASA ready for November launch of car-size Mars rover
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's most advanced mobile robotic laboratory, which will examine one of the most intriguing areas on Mars, is in final preparations for a launch from Florida's Space Coast at 10:25 a.m. ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 10, 2011 |
4.6 / 5 (11) |
13
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Study debunks 6 myths about electricity in the South
Clean energy can help meet growing electricity demand and minimize pollution in the Southern United States, but progress to adopt renewable energy strategies has been hindered by a number of myths, according to a new study ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
Dec 01, 2011 |
3.9 / 5 (13) |
18
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One-third of car fuel consumption is due to friction loss
No less than one third of a car's fuel consumption is spent in overcoming friction, and this friction loss has a direct impact on both fuel consumption and emissions. However, new technology can reduce friction by anything ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
Jan 12, 2012 |
4.3 / 5 (11) |
9
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Dutch 'flying car' takes to the skies
Is it a flying car or a driving aircraft? Either way, the Personal Air and Land Vehicle, or PAL-V for short, has just proved it can handle the skies as well as the highway, both at up to 180 kilometres (112 ...
Technology / Hi Tech & Innovation
Apr 03, 2012 |
4.3 / 5 (11) |
8
China's pollution related to E-cars may be more harmful than gasoline cars, researchers find
Electric cars have been heralded as environmentally friendly, but findings from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, researchers show that electric cars in China have an overall impact on pollution that could be more harmful ...
Feb 13, 2012 |
3.3 / 5 (13) |
16
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Rising air pollution worsens drought, flooding, study shows
Increases in air pollution and other particulate matter in the atmosphere can strongly affect cloud development in ways that reduce precipitation in dry regions or seasons, while increasing rain, snowfall ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 13, 2011 |
4.6 / 5 (9) |
3
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Earth's atmosphere
The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. It has a mass of about five quadrillion metric tons. Dry air contains roughly (by volume) 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1%. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night.
There is no definite boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. It slowly becomes thinner and fades into space. An altitude of 120 km (75 mi) marks the boundary where atmospheric effects become noticeable during atmospheric reentry. The Kármán line, at 100 km (62 mi), is also frequently regarded as the boundary between atmosphere and outer space. Three quarters of the atmosphere's mass is within 11 km (6.8 mi; 36,000 ft) of the surface.
For more information about Earth's atmosphere, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
