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Alternative Theories of Lift ARE THERE ALTERNATIVE  EXPLANATIONS OF LIFT? The explanation of lift favored by this website states that lift is created by an imbalance of pressure against a wing—lower pressure on the top surface and higher pressure on the bottom surface. This "pressure distribution" can be calculated accurately for both subsonic and supersonic flight. But there are other ways of explaining how lift is created. Title: Propeller Downwash image Downwash is especially noticeable beneath a helicopter's rotating blades. Credit: United Technologies Sikorsky Aircraft THE MOMENTUM EXPLANATION OF LIFT According to this explanation, the slight downward deflection of the air leaving the trailing edge of a wing is what produces lift. Since for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, the downward push on the air must result in an upward push on the wing. But this “downwash” results from air pressure differences on the wing—it is an effect of lift, not the c...

THE OUTER SPACE TREATY OF 1967 AND THE MAIN PRINCIPLES OF SPACE LAW For this new Space Law article on Space Legal Issues, let’s have a look at the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. What are the main principles of space law? How do the international texts organise the Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies? FOREWORD The UNITED NATIONS TREATIES AND PRINCIPLES ON OUTER SPACE are “ Text of treaties and principles governing the activities of States in the exploration and use of outer space, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly ”. The United Nations has the responsibility, in the legal field, to develop and codify international law. Because outer space was an environment of a new nature, “ extraordinary in many respects ” and “ unique from the legal point of view ”, and because its human conquest started in the tense climate of the 1950s, the international community had to rapidly legislate ab...

THE LAWS OF SPACE With this new Space Law article on Space Legal Issues, let’s have a look at the laws of space and outline the field of international space law and explain its main principles, focusing on the five UN space treaties. It will present the international law‐making process and examine the ability of existing international legal instruments to address current and future space activities and challenges. THE LAWS OF SPACE Space law emerged soon after Sputnik 1 was launched into outer space in 1957. Several  legally binding international instruments  (treaties) governing the use of outer space for peaceful purposes have been adopted within the framework of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) at its core. The OST contains the basic rules that define the behaviour of States in conducting activities in outer space, and has resulted in more than sixty years of peaceful cooperation in space that ...