A closer look
Traveling to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere is theoretically a much shorter journey than driving across a large terrestrial state, meaning you could technically reach the boundary of outer space in about an hour if you could aim your sedan straight up and maintain highway speeds. The Karman line, which scientists globally recognize as the official boundary where our atmosphere ends and the terrifying vacuum of space begins, is located just sixty-two miles above sea level. This means space is considerably closer to most people than their own state capital or their dreaded in-laws' house in the boring suburbs. Sadly, gravity ruins this incredibly convenient commute, meaning we have to spend billions of dollars on explosive liquid propulsion rockets instead of just building a really steep asphalt on-ramp into the cosmos
