And it says that, though Earth's actual atmosphere fluctuates, "space" begins 62 miles above the planet surface. This is called the Karman Line, after a Hungarian-American physicist.
It is the approximate altitude at which you no longer need thrust to move away from the planet surface. Your momentum carries you, because there is no friction in space.
If a person travels above this imaginary line, they are considered an astronaut. Below it, they're a pilot.
And it occurred to me: Sixty-two miles is less than the distance from my house to my parent's.
The moon is considerably further away. Image from NASA's image of the day gallery.
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