Glossary A

Airflow, or air flow, is the movement of air. The primary cause of airflow is the existence of air. Air behaves in a fluid manner, meaning particles naturally flow from areas of higher pressure to those where the pressure is lower.

Deutsch: Tragflächenprofil / Español: Perfil aerodinámico / Português: Perfil aerodinâmico / Français: Profil aérodynamique / Italiano: Profilo alare

An airfoil is a shape designed to generate lift when air flows over it, commonly used in the wings and control surfaces of aircraft. In the space industry context, airfoils are utilized in vehicles that operate within or transition through an atmosphere, such as re-entry vehicles, spaceplanes, and planetary drones.

In the aerospace context, an airline is a company that provides scheduled air transportation for passengers or cargo. Airlines typically operate aircraft to transport people and goods from one place to another, usually for a fee.

Deutsch: Verkehrsflugzeug / Español: Avión Comercial / Português: Aeronave Comercial / Français: Avion de ligne / Italiano: Aereo di linea /

An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines.

Deutsch: Schleuse / Español: Esclusa de aire / Português: Eclusa de ar / Français: Sas / Italiano: Camera di equilibrio

An airlock is a specialized chamber that allows astronauts to transition between environments of different pressures, typically between the pressurized interior of a spacecraft or space station and the vacuum of space. It serves as a critical safety feature for conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) and for the docking of spacecraft.

Deutsch: Flugzeug / Español: Avión / Português: Avião / Français: Avion / Italiano: Aeroplano /

An airplane, also known as an aircraft or aeroplane, is a vehicle designed for air travel that is propelled through the air by one or more jet engines or turboprop engines.

Deutsch: Flugzeugabsturz / Español: Accidente de avión / Português: Acidente de avião / Français: Accident d'avion / Italiano: Incidente aereo

In the space industry context, an airplane crash can refer to accidents involving aircraft that are part of aerospace operations, such as test flights of experimental spaceplanes, transport operations related to space activities, or aircraft used for astronaut training. These incidents, while primarily associated with aviation, impact the space industry by affecting safety protocols, training procedures, and the design of aerospace vehicles.

An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off and to land or a helipad, and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control towers, hangars and terminals, to maintain and monitor aircraft.

An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.

Deutsch: Luftraumsperrung / Español: Cierre del espacio aéreo / Português: Fechamento do espaço aéreo / Français: Fermeture de l'espace aérien / Italiano: Chiusura dello spazio aereo

Airspace closure in the space industry refers to the temporary restriction or shutdown of a designated portion of airspace to ensure the safety of both air and space activities. This typically occurs during space launches, landings, or other critical events, where there is a risk of collision or interference between spacecraft and commercial or private aircraft.

Deutsch: Luftraummanagement / Español: Gestión del Espacio Aéreo / Português: Gerenciamento do Espaço Aéreo / Français: Gestion de l’Espace Aérien / Italiano: Gestione dello Spazio Aereo

Airspace Management in the space industry context refers to the coordination and regulation of the use of airspace by various types of vehicles, including traditional aircraft, drones, rockets, and spacecraft. This involves ensuring safe and efficient operations by managing the shared airspace near airports, spaceports, and launch sites, as well as along flight corridors used by rockets and re-entry vehicles. As space activities increase, especially with the rise of commercial spaceflight, suborbital tourism, and frequent satellite launches, airspace management plays a critical role in avoiding conflicts and ensuring the safety of all airspace users.

Deutsch: Fluggeschwindigkeit / Español: Velocidad aerodinámica / Português: Velocidade aerodinâmica / Français: Vitesse aérodynamique / Italiano: Velocità aerea

Airspeed in the space industry context generally refers to the speed of a spacecraft or launch vehicle relative to the surrounding air. While the term is more commonly associated with aviation and atmospheric flight, it is also relevant to the initial and final phases of space missions, particularly during launch and re-entry when a spacecraft is within Earth's atmosphere. Airspeed is a critical parameter for ensuring the aerodynamic stability of the vehicle, optimizing fuel efficiency, and avoiding structural damage caused by excessive aerodynamic forces.

Deutsch: Albedo / Español: Albedo / Português: Albedo / Français: Albédo / Italiano: Albedo

Albedo in the space industry context refers to the measure of the reflectivity of a surface or body in space, expressed as a fraction of sunlight that is reflected by that surface. It is a critical factor in understanding the energy balance and thermal properties of planets, moons, asteroids, and artificial satellites.

In the space industry context, "Alenia" refers to the part of the company name "Thales Alenia Space," which is a prominent player in the global aerospace sector. Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture formed between Thales Group, a French multinational company, and Leonardo S.p.A. (formerly Finmeccanica), an Italian aerospace, defense, and security company.

Deutsch: Algorithmus / Español: Algoritmo / Português: Algoritmo / Français: Algorithme / Italiano: Algoritmo /

In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation.

Deutsch: Ausrichtung / Español: Alineación / Português: Alinhamento / Français: Alignement / Italiano: Allineamento

Alignment in the space industry refers to the precise orientation and positioning of spacecraft, satellites, or telescopes to ensure they meet mission objectives. This process involves adjusting a spacecraft’s trajectory, stabilizing its components, and synchronizing its instruments with its intended targets—such as other space objects, celestial bodies, or specific points on Earth. Proper alignment is crucial for functionality in navigation, communications, imaging, and other mission-critical operations.

Deutsch: Alken / Español: Alqueno / Português: Alqueno / Français: Alcène / Italiano: Alchene

In the space industry context, alkene refers to a family of hydrocarbons that contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond. Alkenes are unsaturated compounds that play a role in various chemical processes, including those relevant to space exploration and research. While alkenes themselves might not be directly utilized in typical space industry operations, their chemical properties and reactivity can be significant in materials science, life support systems, and possibly in the production of fuels or other materials needed for long-duration space missions.

Deutsch: Zuweisung / Español: Asignación / Português: Alocação / Français: Allocation / Italiano: Assegnazione /

In the space industry context, allocation refers to the process of distributing resources, tasks, or assets to different space missions, projects, or objectives. It involves making strategic decisions on how to allocate limited resources, such as budget, launch opportunities, and spacecraft, to achieve specific goals in space exploration, research, or commercial ventures. Allocation plays a crucial role in optimizing the use of resources, managing risks, and prioritizing missions in the dynamic and resource-constrained space sector. In this article, we will explore the concept of allocation in the space industry, provide examples, discuss associated risks and application areas, and briefly touch on its historical context and legal considerations.

An alloy is a mixture of two or more metallic elements, typically composed of a base metal and one or more other elements, that are combined to give specific material properties that are not found in the base metal alone.

ALMA stands for Atacama Large Millimeter Array, it is an international partnership of astronomical observatories, which operates a radio telescope array located in the Atacama Desert in Chile. ALMA is one of the largest and most powerful observatories in the world, it is capable of observing radio waves with wavelengths of 0.3 to 9.6 millimeters.