How far is it from the earth to reach outside of the earth's atmosphere?

Answer 1

According to Newtonian mechanics, gravitational fields are infinite in extent, so in fact you could never get away at all. Gravitational field strength is given by: g = MG/r2 Only if r (the distance) is infinite can the field strength equal zero. Surprisingly though, it is possible to have a finite speedwhich is sufficient to keep moving away from earth - in theory - forever, to an unlimited distance. This is the escape velocity. By calculus, one can prove that the amount of kinetic energy required to move an infinite distance from the earth (from an initial distance r) is: 1/2mv2 = mMG/r and hence v = sqrt(2MG/r) [N.B. 'M' is the mass of the earth, 'm' the mass of the object subject to Earth's gravitational pull, and 'G' the gravitational constant.] Even so, you would need eternity to travel an infinite distance.

Answer 2

It's as far as the eye can see!!

"Outer space" has to be beyond the atmosphere of the Earth. (400 kilometers up there is very little atmosphere left.

You probably want to be beyond the Earth's gravitational field too then you will have to get about 1 000 000 (one million kilometers) away (that is 4 times the distance to the Moon).

Maybe you mean interstellar space, then you will have to get beyond the "heliosphere" where particles from the Sun no longer reach, that's much further, 80 to 100 times the diameter of the Earth's orbital radius which is itself 150 000 000 kilometers.

Maybe then one hundred billion kilometers (a good round number).

Answer 3

The energy required to escape a given gravitational field is dependent on the mass and the escape velocity. On Earth's surface, escape velocity is around 11.2 kilometres per second; the energy required to get a mass m measured in kilograms to that velocity is 62.75ms-2(m).

Answer 4

There is no limit to the distance over which the gravitational attraction toward an object extends. You're never 'beyond' the gravity of the Earth, or of the sun, or of Jupiter, or of a stone in your front yard etc.

However, a space craft can go fast enough, or in a suitably shaped path, so that earth's gravity will not cause it to fall back to Earth. Some crafts stay in orbit, so they are still close enough to the earth to stay "locked" into its gravitational pull, but other crafts such as the Titan have gone very far beyond.

Any object with mass has an escape velocity. The escape velocity is the velocity at which an object must travel in order to escape the gravitational pull of the massive object. The escape velocity of the Earth is 11.186 kilometers per second (a little over 25,000 miles per hour). If an object can travel at that speed away from the Earth, it will travel away from the Earth and it won't be pulled back in.

Answer 5

Earth's gravity never fully disappears, no matter how far you go. It just gets weaker and weaker as you move away from it. At a certain distance, it will become insignificant for most practical purposes, but there is no fixed point where it suddenly ends.

Answer 6

The boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space is known as the Kármán line, which is approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) above sea level. Beyond this point is considered outer space, so reaching outside of Earth's atmosphere would require traveling a minimum of 62 miles above the Earth's surface.

Answer 7

The atmosphere extends for about 200 miles up.