ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

U.S. Standard Atmosphere

Hello there! Today we're going to talk about something called the U.S. Standard Atmosphere. It's kind of like a big invisible blanket that wraps around the Earth, and it helps keep us safe and healthy.

Now, this U.S. Standard Atmosphere is made up of different layers, just like a cake with different layers in it. We can think of these layers as "slices" of the atmosphere, kind of like how you slice a cake into pieces. Each slice is a different height above the ground, and has different things like pressure and temperature inside of it.

The first layer is the layer closest to the ground, and we call it the "troposphere." This is where we live and where most of the air we breathe is found. It's also where the weather happens!

The next layer up is called the "stratosphere." This layer is where airplanes and jets fly, and it's also where a special gas called ozone protects us from harmful rays from the sun.

Above the stratosphere is the "mesosphere," which is pretty high up in the sky. Meteors burn up in this layer when they enter Earth's atmosphere!

The "thermosphere" is the next layer up, and it's where the International Space Station orbits around the Earth. This layer has very little air in it, so it's very hard to breathe up there.

Finally, the very top layer is called the "exosphere." This is where the Earth's atmosphere meets outer space.

Overall, the U.S. Standard Atmosphere is like a big, invisible cake that surrounds us all. It has different layers with different things inside of them, and it helps keep us safe and healthy.