To: "Ellen Mackenzie" 
Cc: atm{at}shore.net, owner-atm{at}shore.net
From: Hugues.Laroche{at}ses-astra.com
Reply-To: Hugues.Laroche{at}ses-astra.com




Hi Ellen,

>Would the molecular speed at say 100 miles altitude be sufficient to
escape
>the earth's gravitational field?

Yes. That is, at high altitudes the rarefied gases follow more or less the
Stefan-Boltzmann law, that is, there is a very small probability that
molecules reach the escape velocity. However, given the huge number of
molecules, there IS a small
leak of the atmosphere. If I remember well, the "lighter" gases
like Hydrogen and Helium escape easier than e.g. oxygen etc... which can
explain their rarity. Happily that meets common sense, for once ;-))

All this has become a bit unaccurate with the years, please correct me if I am wrong.

Hugues Laroche



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