@what@mastodon.social What to you mean by "leaving the atmosphere"? There's ground-based video of rockets super high. The key thing to look for is the exhaust plume -- if it spreads out in a bell or expanding cone, there isn't much air around.
There's also some really cool long exposure photographs of night launches where you can see the rocket path all the way to the horizon.
@what@mastodon.social
This photo is cool since it shows how rockets go more sideways than up. https://mobile.twitter.com/johnkrausphotos/status/842255690659966976