Outer Space & Universe
Outer Space & Universe
Space, also known as outer space, is the near-vacuum between celestial bodies. It is where everything (all of the planets, stars, galaxies and other objects) is found.
On Earth, space begins at the Kármán line (100 km above sea level). This is where Earth's atmosphere is said to stop and outer space begins. This is not a firm boundary but is a convention used by scientists and diplomats.
Items in space are free to move back and forth; up and down; and left and right. These three dimensions are what make 3D space. Items also move forward through time, which is sometimes called the fourth dimension.
The majority of space contains very little matter and so most of it is a vacuum. Scientists do not know how big space is but we do know that space is extremely big, and is always expanding.
According to the big bang theory, all matter and energy in the Universe was compressed into a very small space. Then it exploded and started expanding. Space is still growing in size today; this means the distance from one galaxy to distant galaxies is getting longer.
Gravity is the force that keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth and the planets in orbit around the Sun. Gravity can stretch and bend space similar to how a heavy ball placed on a stretched sheet of rubber will cause the rubber to stretch. The scientist who discovered that space can bend is named Albert Einstein. How gravity bends space is part of his theory of general relativity.
Astronauts, Cosmonauts, Taikonauts and Spationauts
An astronaut is any person who is trained by NASA to travel and perform tasks in space. Although the space traveler may not necessarily be a United States citizen, each astronaut does go through a rigorous training regiment by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Other space travelers go by other names then astronaut depending on their country of origin.
In the United States, astronaut is derived from the Greek words ástron (star) and nautis (sailor). While, in Russia, a space traveler goes by the name космонавт (English: cosmonaut), which is derived from the Greek words kosmos (universe) and nautis (sailor). Westerners call a space traveler from China a taikonaut, based on the 1998 writings of Chiew Lee Yik and Chen Lan where the term tàikōng (great emptiness), Chinese for “space”. In China, the term yuháng yuán (universe navigator) is used for space traveler.
Only the United States of America (United States), Russia (earlier, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), and the People’s Republic of China (China) have sent manned spacecraft into space. Other countries have assisted these countries by sending their own space travelers on space missions. For instance, a French space traveler is called a spationaut (from the French word spationaute), which is derived from the Latin spatium (space) and Greek nautis (sailor). (plural in Greek nautes = sailors)
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12:09 New
OSIRIS-REx bringing asteroid samples to Earth, NASA explains why its a big deal
Added 7 Views / 0 LikesNASA Planetary Scientist Noah Petro dishes on what it took plan the impressive touch-and-go return mission, why much of the sample will be preserved for future generations of humanity, the best-case scenario for what we find in these rocks — and the worst
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18:13 New
Cosmic Careers: NBL Diver
Added 7 Views / 0 LikesHuman spaceflight is a team sport – and not everyone needs a Ph.D. to be a part of it. In Cosmic Careers, we explore the different, and sometimes unusual jobs needed to make NASA’s mission possible. We’re making a splash this episode with divers Emily Cox
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02:45 New
NASA's OSIRIS-REx capsule to deliver Asteroid Bennu samples to Utah - Here's how
Added 7 Views / 0 LikesSee how NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission will land bits of Asteroid Bennu back on Earth in this animated explainer. Landing scheduled for Sunday Sept. 24: https://www.space.com/nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-sample-return-landing-what-timeCredit: NASA Goddard Space Fl
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07:04 New
Extratropical Carolina Dragons! European Windabouts! Solar Flares! Magnetic Storms! & strangeness.
Added 2 Views / 0 Likesi hope this description finds you well.God bless everyone,T
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03:23 New
Space to Ground: One Year Later: Sept 22, 2023
Added 8 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #AskNASA to talk to us.Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:https://www.nasa.gov/iss-scien
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05:48 New
Vibrant Communities Beyond Earth are Possible
Added 8 Views / 0 LikesJoin the BEYOND EARTH SYMPOSIUM in Washington D.C., November 1-2: https://www.beyondearthsymposium.orgThe Beyond Earth Institute’s founder and senior staff explain their mission to drive policy and legal frameworks that will economically enable communitie
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Watch live! OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return
Added 9 Views / 0 LikesOSIRIS-REx's asteroid-sample return capsule will land in Utah on Sept. 23 at around 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) and you can watch the action live here
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00:46 New
Artemis 2 crew walks out historic NASA building in launch dress rehearsal
Added 7 Views / 0 LikesSee the Artemis 2 crew walkout of NASA's Operation and Checkout building in a dress rehearsal for launch. See photos from the rehearsal: https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-2-astronaut-moon-crew-launch-day-test-photosCredit: NASA
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01:09 New
Stunning Andromeda Galaxy view captured by China's Wide Field Survey Telescope
Added 9 Views / 0 LikesChina's Wide Field Survey Telescope has captured an amazing view of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). Its the "world's largest field-of-view image of the Andromeda Galaxy with a high resolution" yet, according to China Central Television.Credit: Space.com | foo
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01:09 New
Hurricane Nigel's huge eye seen from space in NOAA satellite time-lapse
Added 10 Views / 0 LikesNOAA's GOES-East satellite captured imager of Hurricane Nigel churning over the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 19-20, 2023. -- See Hurricane Lee's eye lit up by lightning in this amazing footage from plane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm4mS7xeuUECredit: Spac
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01:09 New
Hurricane Nigel's huge eye seen from space by NOAA satellite
Added 9 Views / 0 LikesNOAA's GOES-East satellite captured imager of Hurricane Nigel churning over the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 19-20, 2023. -- See Hurricane Lee's eye lit up by lightning in this amazing footage from plane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm4mS7xeuUECredit: Spac
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00:41 New
Open House & Eclipse Trailer #nasa #space
Added 9 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Johnson Space Center is hosting an Open House for the public on October 14th! Come join us to see our facilities, meet astronauts, and learn about all things space and human spaceflight! We are also providing our guests with the opportunity to view
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09:06 New
SpaceX launches Starlink batch on booster's record 17th flight, nails landing
Added 9 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sept. 20, 2023 at 11:38 p.m. EDT (0338 GMT Sept. 20). [Full Story](https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-falcon-9-record-17th-launch)The rocket's first
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01:12 New
Boom! Sierra Space bursts inflatable LIFE habitat fitted with 'window' in amazing views
Added 9 Views / 0 LikesSierra Space tested an inflatable habitat prototype fitted with a metallic window sub-structure. "The LIFE habitat will house a minimum of two windows," according to a release from the commercial space company. Credit: Sierra Space
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01:21 New
Chinese taikonauts harvest space vegetables aboard Tiangong space station
Added 21 Views / 0 LikesChina's Shenzhou-16 crew have a "garden of vegetables in space. "The plants that grow in the garden are watered in the opposite direction from that on Earth," according to China Central Television.Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)
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01:23 New
Stoke Space Hopper2 is airborne! 1st flight of reusable rocket prototype is success
Added 9 Views / 0 LikesStoke Space Hopper2 prototype conduced its first vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) on Sept. 17, 2023 in Moses Lake, Washington. Credit: Stoke Space | edited by Space.com's [Steve Spaleta](https://twitter.com/stevespaleta)
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08:10 New
Rocket Lab launch ends with anomaly after separation, payload lost
Added 10 Views / 0 LikesAn Electron rocket carrying a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft for the California company Capella Space launched from New Zealand on Sept. 19, 2023 at 2:55 a.m. EDT (0655 GMT; 6:55 p.m. local New Zealand time). Full Story: https://www.space.com/r
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08:08 New
Soyuz MS-24 crew enters space station after quick flight
Added 11 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, alongside Russian counterparts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub completed ingress into the International Space Station shortly after docking on Sept. 15, 2023. Full Story: https://www.space.com/soyuz-ms-24-arrives-international
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01:02 New
SpaceX Starlink satellites deployed in stunning view from space
Added 12 Views / 0 LikesA batch of Starlink satellites were deployed by SpaceX shortly after launch on Sept. 16, 2023. See multiple views captured by cameras aboard the Falcon 9 rocket second stage. Watch the launch: https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-launch-group-6-16Credit:
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01:03 New
Massive filament eruption on Sun captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory
Added 10 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a huge filament eruption in multiple wavelengths on Sept. 16, 2023. The eruption created a coronal mass ejection that "should hit Earth's magnetic field on Sept. 19th," according to Spaceweather.comCredit: Space.