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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02:58
Astronaut Tips: How to Wash Your Hair in Space | Video
Added 768 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Karen Nyberg shows how she washes her long hair in space while living in weightlessness on the International Space Station. Hint: No rinse shampoo is a must. Read more about it here: http://goo.gl/qlb8YT Credit: NASA
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01:33
Spacesuit Leak - Astronaut Reports Floating Water | Video
Added 768 Views / 0 LikesItalian astronaut Luca Parmitano noticed excessive water in his helmet during a spacewalk on July 16th, 2013. He reports feeling water on the back of his head to NASA mission control.
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01:25
Blue Origin's Vertical Rocket Takes Hop
Added 768 Views / 0 LikesSee private spaceship builder Jeff Bezos's vertical rocket take a short hop during a 2011 test flight by his company Blue Origin. To View More SPACE VIDEO - Go to: http://www.space.com/video/
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00:53
European Spacecraft To Land On Comet In 2014 - Animation
Added 768 Views / 0 LikesESA's Rosetta spacecraft will deploy its Philae lander to land on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in Nov. 2014. Its expected to deliver for several weeks to several months, depending on how long it takes the solar cells to be covered in dust.
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07:12
Space Station Malfunction: Spacewalk Repairs Explained By NASA | Video
Added 768 Views / 0 LikesLead U.S. Spacewalk Officer Allison Bolinger explains what the ISS astronauts will be doing over 3 spacewalks to repair cooling system. A pump module needs to be replaced.
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02:30
How ESA's ROSETTA Comet Probe Wakes Up in Deep Space | Video
Added 768 Views / 0 LikesThis computer animation shows how the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft wakes up from deep space hibernation on 20 January 2014. The spacecraft is headed for a 2014 rendezvous with the Comet 67P/Churyumov--Gerasimenko.
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03:46
Soyuz Crew Must Take the 'Long Way' to Space Station | Video
Added 768 Views / 0 LikesAfter two successful course altering 'burns' (rocket motor firings) three space-station bound crew members must wait an additional day to finally meet-up with ISS. NASA explains why the Soyuz craft did not execute a planned third burn.
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02:35
Supermassive Black Hole's 'Death Star' X-Ray Beam Snapped By Space Telescope | Video
Added 768 Views / 0 LikesSupermassive Black Hole's 'Death Star' X-Ray Beam Snapped By Space Telescope | Video
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02:22
Polar Vortex Chilling Effects Spied by Heat-Seeking Satellite Cam | Time-Lapse Animation
Added 767 Views / 0 LikesThe weather phenomenon that brought frigid temperatures -- minus 18°F in some places -- to the United States in the first week of 2014 was probed by NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft.
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03:18
The Sun is causing strange NEW camera anomalies & a Sundiver comet
Added 767 Views / 0 LikesThe Sun is causing strange NEW camera anomalies & a Sundiver comet
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00:54
Interplanetary Internet - New Satellite To Move Large Data Files | Orbit Animation
Added 766 Views / 0 LikesA new hybrid small satellite called CASSIOPE is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX rocket in 2013. It is carrying a payload named Cascade, whose purpose is to move high volume data anywhere in the world.
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04:50
THOR reads Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey - For the Ladies
Added 766 Views / 0 LikesTHOR reads Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey - For the Ladies
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05:11
ISS Tour: Labs, Exercise Bike&Space Suits | Video
Added 765 Views / 0 LikesExpedition 33 commander Suni Williams showcases the Japanese, American and European laboratories are toured. Also a look at the station's space suits. Destiny, Columbus and Kibo nodes are toured.
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00:27
Early Stars Formed In Weird Places: Spiderweb Galaxy Cluster | Video
Added 765 Views / 0 LikesEarly Stars Formed In Weird Places: Spiderweb Galaxy Cluster | Video
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06:08
A Magic Horse & record Texas Snowfall - 2010 - the REAL THOR storm
Added 765 Views / 0 LikesA Magic Horse & record Texas Snowfall - 2010 - the REAL THOR storm
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01:24
'Cosmic Recycling' Seeds The Prawn Nebula | Observatory Zoom-In Video
Added 765 Views / 0 Likes'Cosmic Recycling' Seeds The Prawn Nebula | Observatory Zoom-In Video
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04:00
Close Saturn, Planets and 2 Meteor Showers | May 2014 Skywatching Video
Added 764 Views / 0 LikesSaturn is close and bright throughout 2014 but maybe best on May 10th 'opposition,' its moons visible with telescope. Mars shares the Eastern sky with the ringed gas giant. Skywatching Guide: http://goo.gl/uETMG9
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00:57
Early Universe Galaxy Core Harbored Millions Of Newborn Stars | Video
Added 764 Views / 0 LikesEarly Universe Galaxy Core Harbored Millions Of Newborn Stars | Video
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06:11
Giant Filament EXPLODES from the Sun
Added 764 Views / 0 LikesGiant Filament EXPLODES from the Sun
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03:17
How Does Mars Make Liquid Water? | Video
Added 763 Views / 0 LikesHow Does Mars Make Liquid Water? | Video