outer space

Declared transition criterion

Record the adopted criterion, its purpose and the transition interval in which classification remains uncertain.

1. Which physical criterion or named convention determines where this region is treated as outer space? boundary
2. What source establishes that criterion, and to which body and use case does it apply? provenance
3. Over what interval do atmospheric effects remain relevant despite the adopted classification? measurement

Environmental region identity

Identify the region's intended extent and record which embedded objects are references or contents rather than the region itself.

1. Does this record describe outer space generally or a particular near-body, interplanetary, interstellar or intergalactic region? definition
2. Which celestial surfaces, atmospheric volumes or embedded objects are excluded from the region's environmental scope? boundary

Reproducible spatial location

Record boundaries, coordinate origin, orientation, time scale and epoch, including whether the region moves with a body.

1. Which reference frame, origin, epoch and time scale specify the region's boundaries? measurement
2. Are its boundaries fixed in that frame, moving with a celestial body or defined by changing physical conditions? boundary

Applicable gravitational description

Identify influential bodies, the adopted gravitational approximation and the motion questions it can support.

1. Which bodies and gravitational effects must be included at the region's scale and required accuracy? definition
2. What acceleration, gravity gradients and uncertainties does the adopted model predict across the region? measurement
3. Which trajectory or station-keeping assessments require a more detailed gravitational model? action

Resolved material populations

Distinguish neutral gas, charged particles and dust by the properties needed for the proposed assessment.

1. Which neutral, ionised and dust populations are observed or inferred in this region? definition
2. What are their densities, compositions, size or energy distributions and velocities, with uncertainty? measurement
3. Which population properties come from direct sampling, remote observation or extrapolation? provenance

Local energy and field description

Record field vectors and radiation spectra separately from component temperatures and object-specific thermal responses.

1. What electric and magnetic fields, photon spectra and energetic-particle fluxes characterise the region? measurement
2. Which temperatures describe particular particle populations, and where is a temperature description unsupported? boundary
3. What illumination, shadowing and background radiation must be supplied to an object's thermal assessment? action

Environmental evidence coverage

Record the sampled volume, observation time, instrument limitations and assumptions used to infer unsampled conditions.

1. Which instruments, datasets or published models support the description, and when were the observations made? provenance
2. Does each result describe a local sample, a line-of-sight integral or an inferred three-dimensional region? measurement
3. Where do spatial gaps, signal travel time or detection limits prevent a reliable current assessment? boundary

Time-dependent environmental state

Distinguish baseline conditions from transient events and changing boundaries using region-specific evidence.

1. Which stellar activity, plasma disturbances, shadow transitions or material streams alter conditions in this region? definition
2. What observed variation and forecast horizon bound the validity of the current description? measurement
3. Which event or threshold should trigger a new observation or reassessment? action

Exposure along an activity

Record relevant radiation, charging, thermal, drag and impact conditions along the proposed path and duration.

1. Which environmental hazards intersect the proposed trajectory, orientation and operating interval? measurement
2. Which shielding, material, geometry and operating-limit information is needed from the affected spacecraft or instrument model? action
3. Where do missing environmental measurements prevent a defensible exposure estimate? boundary

Activity-specific operating window

Describe when passage, sensing or communication satisfies stated physical constraints, with legal authorisation handled by the relevant external model.

1. What line-of-sight, occultation, background radiation or plasma conditions constrain the proposed observation or communication? measurement
2. Which time windows or paths satisfy the activity's declared environmental limits? action
3. Which feasibility conclusions depend on capability or authorisation records outside this environmental model? boundary

Kinds and varieties

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of outer space this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Identifiers and schemes

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of outer space this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Standards and regulation

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of outer space this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Real-world use

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of outer space this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Typical measurements

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of outer space this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Failure modes and hazards

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of outer space this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Regional variation

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of outer space this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance

Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart

Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.

1. Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of outer space this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance