Defining constants, equations, and abbreviated tables of the 1975 US Standard Atmosphere

The U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1975 (COESA, 1975) is an idealized, steady-state representation of the earth's atmosphere from the surface of the earth to 1000-km altitude, as it is assumed to exist in a period of moderate solar activity. From 0 to 86 km, the atmospheric model is specified in terms of the hydrostatic equilibrium of a perfect gas, with that portion of the model from 0 to 51 geopotential kilometers being identical with that of the U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1962 (COESA, 1962). Between 51 and 86 km, the defining temperature-height profile has been modified from that of the 1962 Standard to lower temperatures between 51 and 69.33 km, and to greater values between 69.33 and 86 km. Above 86 km, the model is defined in terms of quasi-dynamic considerations involving the vertical component of the flux of molecules of individual gas species. These conditions lead to the generation of independent number-density distributions of the major species, N2, O2, O, Ar, Ne, and H, consistent with observations. The detailed definitions of the model are presented along with graphs and abbreviated tables of the atmospheric properties of the 1975 Standard.