Who owns the sky?

Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper
US Army Paratroopers do.

Hooah!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspace

Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a particular country on top of its territory and territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere.

* Controlled airspace exists where it is deemed necessary that air traffic control has some form of positive executive control over aircraft flying in that airspace.

* Uncontrolled airspace is airspace in which air traffic control does not exert any executive authority, although it may act in an advisory manner.

Airspace may be further subdivided into a variety of areas and zones, including those where there are either restrictions on flying activities or complete prohibition of flying activities.

By international law, the notion of a country's sovereign airspace corresponds with the maritime definition of territorial waters as being 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) out from a nation's coastline. Airspace not within any country's territorial limit is considered international, analogous to the "high seas" in maritime law. However, a country may, by international agreement, assume responsibility for controlling parts of international airspace, such as those over the oceans. For instance, the United States provides air traffic control services over a large part of the Pacific Ocean, even though the airspace is international.

There is no international agreement on the vertical extent of sovereign airspace (the boundary between outer space— which is not subject to national jurisdiction— and national airspace), with suggestions ranging from about 30 km (the extent of the highest aircraft and balloons) to about 160 km (the lowest extent of short-term stable orbits). The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale has established the Kármán line, at an altitude of 100 km (62.1 miles), as the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and the outer space, while the United States considers anyone who has flown above 50 miles (80 km) to be an astronaut; indeed descending space shuttles have flown closer than 80 km over other nations, such as Canada, without requesting permission first.[1] Nonetheless both the Kármán line and the US definition are merely working benchmarks, without any real legal authority over matters of national sovereignty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geostationary_orbit#Orbit_allocation

Satellites in geostationary orbit must all occupy a single ring above the equator. The requirement to space these satellites apart to avoid harmful radio-frequency interference during operations means that there are a limited number of orbital "slots" available, thus only a limited number of satellites can be operated in geostationary orbit. This has led to conflict between different countries wishing access to the same orbital slots (countries at the same longitude but differing latitudes) and radio frequencies. These disputes are addressed through the International Telecommunication Union's allocation mechanism.[7] Countries located at the Earth's equator have also asserted their legal claim to control the use of space above their territory.[8] Since the Clarke Orbit is about 265,000 km (165,000 mi) long, countries and territories in less-populated parts of the world have been allocated slots and reserved portions of the radio-frequency spectrum already, even though they aren't yet using them. The problem presently lies over densely-populated areas such as the Americas and Europe/Africa, and above the middles of the three equatorial oceans.

Where does the sky begin?

Is it a cm off the ground? In that case the land and sky aren't as different as people think.

An interesting related fact I learned from watching the Discovery channel.

Even since before the Russians launched Sputnik the US had the technology to orbit its own satellite. Even prior to the worlds first launch President Eisenhower saw the potential for satellites to be used for spying from outer space. (I think more likely his national defense advisers did)

But he had a problem. With, or without spy cameras he was worried about beating the hornet's nest with the Russians by flying a craft over their "airspace." Such a thing was unprecedented and upper limits to a county's airspace wasn't defined.

The Russians were the first to act then setting the precedence that anything goes when it comes to outer space, so that gave the Americans the green light.

Originally posted by whodey
Er...um....don't you mean China?

The only thing China will do to the sky is pollute it further....

Originally posted by rwingett
"The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. Buy our land! But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land? The idea is strange to us."

-Chief Seattle (attributed)

Great speach by the Chief hey!

Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper
An interesting related fact I learned from watching the Discovery channel.

Even since before the Russians launched Sputnik the US had the technology to orbit its own satellite. Even prior to the worlds first launch President Eisenhower saw the potential for satellites to be used for spying from outer space. (I think more likely his national def ...[text shortened]... hat anything goes when it comes to outer space, so that gave the Americans the green light.

mmm, i think it probly worked out as a positive, not only as cover but to spur the USA, but i think also the reason we didn't beat the russkis was launch failures. none of this was "done" engineering. they had V-2 etc. to base it on but V-2 etc. were not orbital. russia won fair and square.