Space environment

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Space environment is a branch of astronautics and aerospace engineering that seeks to understand and address conditions existing in space that would impact the operation of spacecraft, such as radiation, space debris, upper atmospheric drag, and the solar wind. Solutions explored by scientists and engineers in this area include, but are not limited to, spacecraft shielding, various collision detection systems, and atmospheric models to predict drag effects encountered in lower orbits and during reentery.

The field often overlaps with the disciplines of astrophysics, atmospheric science, space physics, and geophysics, albeit with a stronger emphasis on application.

[edit] See also

• Space weather
• Astronautics
• Outer space
• Space science
• Karman line

[edit] External links

• NOAA Space environment Center
• ESA Space Environment and Effects Analysis Section
• Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS)