For Educators · Standard Atmosphere
Standard Atmosphere for an ion thruster
Built for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs. Simulate an ion thruster live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Standard Atmosphere (ISA)Live
temperature, pressure, density
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The International Standard Atmosphere is the reference model all aircraft and instruments are calibrated against. Temperature falls steadily through the troposphere at 6.5 °C/km, then holds constant in the stratosphere above the tropopause. Pressure and density decay roughly exponentially — at airliner altitude the air is only a quarter as dense as at sea level.
Data Inspector
Temperature-50.0 °C
Pressure26.4 kPa
Density0.413 kg/m³
% sea-level ρ34%
Governing equation
Reading this result: Below the 11 km tropopause, temperature falls at 6.5 °C/km — here it is -50 °C and the air holds 34% of sea-level density.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for educators?
- Yes — this version of "Standard Atmosphere for an ion thruster" is framed for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.