August 19

On August 19, 1960, the Soviet Union sentenced Francis Gary Powers to 10 years for espionage.

Powers had been shot down over Soviet airspace, at an altitude of 68,000 ft in a U2 spy plane. He was equipped with supplies, gold, even a suicide pin, and employed by the CIA. He had been recording film of various points of military interest.

Occupied land in the US does not merely contain the dirt on the surface. Unless rights are sold, or subject to an easement, the land above and below a piece of property belong to the owner. Mineral rights are frequently stripped from residential property, and easements are common for sewers, power and telephone lines. Commercial and military aircraft also have an easement. These means that commercial planes have to fly within certain zones. At the dawn of flight, several lawsuits were filed for trespass with airplanes. The courts did not want to shut down the burgeoning technology, so easements were granted.

International law is even blurrier. Airspace starts at the international waters line, which is 12 nautical miles from the coastline. It extends vertically until "outer space" which does not have an agreed upon boundary. An international body has established the Karman line, which is 100 km, but this boundary has no legal status. The US considers anyone who has been 80 km away from the surface an astronaut.

Powers was flying at roughly 20 km. Powers was exchanged for a Soviet spy in 1962. The US continued to send U2 planes on spy missions, and continues to. Powers died in 1977 in a helicopter crash.