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Higher and Higher

If your car could drive straight up, outer space would be only a few minutes away. The earth’s atmosphere is a thin layer of gasses that allow life to exist. The air we breathe at or near sea level is composed of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and other trace elements. The gravity of the earth holds the atmosphere in place.

If you shrunk the earth to the size of a billiard ball, it would be smoother than the billiard ball. The tallest mountains and deepest valleys would not be noticeable. Nonetheless, life cannot exist on the top of the earth’s highest mountains. At the top of Mount Everest, 28,020 feet above sea level (or about 5 1/3 miles), the air contains only a third as much oxygen as at sea level. Most climbers need supplemental oxygen at that altitude.

The sun heats and lights the surface of the earth, but as you move away from the surface, the temperature drops and with no surface area to absorb light, it becomes very dark.

There is no air pressure in deep space. When astronauts leave the atmosphere, they must wear pressurized “space suits.”  Imagine stepping onto a magic elevator that would transport you straight up. Life would soon become rather unpleasant.

• It would be very hard to breathe because there is less oxygen the further you move away from the earth.

• The temperature would be very cold because the thin air would not be able to hold onto heat from the sun.

• It would begin to get darker because there is nothing else but the elevator platform to absorb and reflect the light from the sun.

• With lower air pressure, your eyeballs and blood vessels would burst from your body.

To cite this page:
Dowling, Mike, "Mr. Dowling's Higher and Higher Page," available from http://www.mrdowling.com/601-higher.html; Internet; updated Saturday, October 23, 2004 . ©2008, Mike Dowling. All rights reserved.