What argument suggests the 100 km FAI standard might eventually need reevaluation based on technology?
Advanced aerospace technology allows sustained lift at lower densities than previously assumed.
One line of scientific reasoning challenges the continued relevance of the 100 km standard due to advancements in aerospace technology. The original definition was set decades ago based on the capabilities of existing aircraft technology to sustain flight. However, modern aerospace design and propulsion systems are increasingly capable of generating sufficient lift or maintaining stable, high-speed trajectories at atmospheric densities lower than those present at 100 kilometers. If vehicles can function effectively higher up in thinner air than previously anticipated, the point where the atmosphere truly ceases to support conventional flight may effectively be shifting. This technological evolution creates pressure to reevaluate whether a fixed historical standard adequately reflects the current physical limits of flight capability.

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