To space in 24 hours....?

Question

If I were to hover in a helicopter for 24 hours by some means or the other, won't I be able to say Hi to space.
Because of the earth's revolution, and because I have overcome gravitational pull, wont I be able to enter space?

Answer 1

You have not overcome the earth's gravitational pull (if you had you'd never be able to land), and since your helicopter depends on air to generate lift with the rotor blades you can never exceed a certain altitude within the atmosphere. Your helicopter also, along with everything else on Earth, starts with the same east-west motion as the planet's surface, and so unless you direct it to fly eastwards it will continue to hover above the same spot on Earth for the whole 24 hours.

Answer 2

Now that's interesting. You would be circling the earth without "touching" it; so I guess technically you would be "in orbit."

But you wouldn't be in space. Being in space doesn't mean overcoming gravitational pull. More accurately, it means getting above the earth's atmosphere, which means you need to attain an altitude of at least 60 miles.

Also, when you're 60 miles up (or say 200 miles, the typical altitude of the space shuttle), you have not really overcome gravity. If you had, then you would coast ever farther away from the earth, rather than going around it in a tight circle. It's the earth's gravity that keeps you curving back.

You can go into space without going into orbit (Burt Rutan's ship did this in 2004, and some of the early space shots in the 1950's did this). And (as you've pointed out in your thought experiment) you can go into "orbit" (sort of) without going into space.

But usually, "orbit" is thought of as meaning you're in "free fall" around the earth; that is, no other force besides gravity is acting on you. In the example you gave, there is definitely the force of air pressure pushing up on the rotor blades. Since that is not free fall, most people would not consider that to be a real "orbit."

Answer 3

No. A helicopter flies by aerodynamic forces, and therefore cannot enter space. In fact, helicopters are limited to relatively low altitudes and speeds, and cannot overcome the earth's gravitational pull.

Answer 4

A helicopter has not overcome gravity. Aircraft are supported by the air just like boats are supported by the water and you are supported by the ground. It would not matter at all how long you hovered; you would still be supported in the air at the same altitude over the same spot on the ground.

Answer 5

A helicopter just want do it as if there is no gravity there is no air.

Answer 6

No you won't. It would take you more than 24 hours.