Appendix B

1976 US Standard Atmosphere Model

B.1 The atmospheric environment

The chemical composition of the sensible atmosphere is essentially constant and by mole fraction it is comprised of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gases. (Argon 0.93%, CO2 0.03%, and neon, helium, krypton, hydrogen, xenon, and ozone in increasingly smaller amounts.) For most thermo-chemical purposes the atmosphere is considered a binary mixture of 79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. This fixed composition approximation makes the temperature distribution a reliable means for dividing up the various important regions in the atmosphere. The pressure and density in the regions of specified temperature behavior may be determined from the equation of state and the conditions ...

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