how far is it from earth to actual outer space?

Answer 1

It's only a gradual transition, but earth's atmosphere is pretty thin: at 15,000 feet half of the atmosphere is below you and it's noticeably harder to breathe and easier to get sunburned.

Answer 2

One faction considers 50 miles above the Earth to be Outer Space. Another faction, whose job centers around the recovery of space vehicles which must re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, operates on the principle that Outer Space begins at 75 miles above the Earth. That is the distance at which heat from re-entry becomes noticeable.

So, if you had to pick a sure fire number, you could go with 75 miles above the earth and you would be pretty close to correct.
At 100 miles above the Earth you are certainly there...that is 528,000 feet, way above the heights flown by any commercial or military planes. Take along some really warm clothing because it is frigid up there, and also some breathing equipment. At any height above 14 - 15 thousand feet you will need your own self contained oxygen supply.

Answer 3

Where Does Space Begin?
Most people consider space to simply be the region above the Earth's atmosphere. But, there is no tangible boundary because the atmosphere gradually thins with increasing altitude. Traces of the gasses we breathe can be found over 100 miles above the earth.
As a comparison, passenger jets cruise at an average altitude of only 30,000 feet (5.7 miles), and the best military jets have a hard time climbing above 100,000 feet (a little less than 19 miles).

So, how do we define where space begins? Many different definitions exist. The United States awards astronaut status to anyone who flies above 50 miles in altitude. Many flight engineers, dealing with the effects of friction and heating of spacecraft due to atmospheric particles, define the boundary to be at 400,000 feet (75.76 miles). They call this the "entry interface," the point at which heating on reentry becomes observable.

Whichever definition you prefer, it is far, far above the level that humans can breathe.


Updated July 5, 1995. Contacts

Answer 4

Some satellites fly at the level of 100 km above the Earth, so no significant influence of atmosphere for their movement is noticed. This I woul call outer space. Some airplanes can fly up to the level of 20 km above the Earth, though a man can not breath at the level.

Answer 5

Depends... 100 miles / 160 kms is a generally accepted benchmark.

However, it also depends on the time of day - the Earth's atmosphere expands & contracts with the effects of Solar heating, so the height of the column of air over your head depends on whether the sun is up or not.

Answer 6

Earth is in outer space. Our atmosphere and planet are a part of it.

Answer 7

It depends on who you ask. The Federacion of aeronautical studies uses an altitude of 100 mi. as the beginning of space-----this is because a craft, in order to have enough aerodynamic lift to sustain flight, would have to travel at orbital velocity.

The U.S. uses a height of 50 mi, designating those who achieve that height as astronauts. (Re-entry poses significant heat problems beginning at an altitude of 75 mi)

Probably the best answer to your question is that there is no place we can say that outer space begins-----the atmosphere just gets thinner and thinner as we ascend.

Answer 8

An aproximate 80 kilometres

Answer 9

22 miles

Answer 10

3 million