Aeropause is the region in which the functional effects of the atmosphere on man and craft begin to cease.

Background

In the 1950s, there were discussions between the

U. S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

School of Medicine Aviation and the Lovelace Foundation regarding how to support the efforts to accomplish manned travel in the upper atmosphere. A research plan was developed that encompassed the aeromedical, aeronautical, astrophysical, and biological aspects that were deemed vital to manned travel in the upper atmosphere. At

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in November 1951 a symposium was held with a focus aimed at forecasting the future research needed for manned flight that approached the upper limits of the atmosphere. At the symposium, the presentations and discussions focused on 4 major disciplines that comprised the areas of

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...

radiobiology Radiobiology (also known as radiation biology, and uncommonly as actinobiology) is a field of clinical and basic medical sciences that involves the study of the action of ionizing radiation on living things, especially health effects of radiation. ...

, and

aviation medicine Aviation medicine, also called flight medicine or aerospace medicine, is a preventive or occupational medicine in which the patients/subjects are pilots, aircrews, or astronauts. The specialty strives to treat or prevent conditions to which aircr ...

.Benson Jr, Otis Otto., & White, Clayton Samuel. (Eds.). (1952). Physics and Medicine of the Upper Atmosphere: A Study of the Aeropause. University of New Mexico Press.

The Aeropause

At the time when the term ''aeropause'' became relevant to the pursuits of mankind into the upper regions of Earth's atmosphere, there did not exist a precise description for the word. The judgement of experts in the various fields was solicited and input was sought to define the term aeropause. The terms from aeromedical and aeronautical disciplines along with terms from geophysics, astrophysics, and radiobiology were not sufficient to depict this region of the atmosphere where human endeavors sought to venture and explore. The current terms in use were limited and insufficient. The terms available and that came under consideration were aerosphere, aeropause, and

astronautics Astronautics (or cosmonautics) is the theory and practice of travel beyond Earth's atmosphere into outer space. Spaceflight is one of its main applications and space science its overarching field. The term ''astronautics'' (originally ''astronaut ...

. According to Clayton S. White, the expression aeropause is a coined word first spoken by Dr. Konrad Buettner of the Department of Space Medicine at Randolph Field during a conference. Again, referring to White: "aerosphere was visualized as that region in which flight was possible currently. The aeropause was the region just above this, to be different yesterday, today, and tomorrow, as progress in aviation ensued".

Heinz Haber Heinz Haber (May 15, 1913 in Mannheim – February 13, 1990 in Hamburg) was a German physicist and science writer who primarily became known for his TV programs and books about physics and environmental subjects. His lucid style of explaining ...

, Department of Space Medicine at Randolph Field, an expert in

space medicine Space medicine is the practice of medicine on astronauts in outer space whereas astronautical hygiene is the application of science and technology to the prevention or control of exposure to the hazards that may cause astronaut ill health. Both ...

sought a more functional definition and said the: "aeropause should be defined as that region in which the functional effects of the atmosphere on man and craft begin to cease".Buettner, K. J., & Haber, H. (1952). The aeropause. Science. 115: 656-657. The aeronautical engineer defined the aeropause as those areas of the atmosphere where the

physiological Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

necessities of the

aircrew Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions ...

became the limiting factors for the design of aircraft and supporting equipment.Editor. (2005). Aeropause. An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. The study of the aeropause requires a blend of several disciplines from the

biological sciences Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

and the

physical sciences Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". Definition Phy ...

. Important fields necessary for research that involves the aeropause include

geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...

, and

References

{{Reflist Aerospace Aviation medicine Space medicine