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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How did Saturn's rings form? Icy moons collide in supercomputer simulations
Added 53 Views / 0 LikesNew NASA supercomputer simulations show that Saturn's rings may have been formed by a 'massive collision' of icy moons. Full Story: https://www.space.com/saturn-rings-origin-moon-collisionCredits: NASA/Durham University/Glasgow University/Jacob Kegerreis/
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How Did the Moon Form? - 'Ask A Spaceman: Science of Apollo'
Added 313 Views / 0 LikesSpace.com presents 'Ask a Spaceman: Science of Apollo' with host astrophysicist Paul Sutter. Learn how humanity came to understand the moon's formation with the help of NASA's Apollo missions. -- Watch more episodes on Space.com: https://www.space.com/ask
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How do 'planet factories' churn out super-Earths?
Added 70 Views / 0 LikesA new study by Caltech’s Konstantin Batygin and his colleague theorizes how super-Earths are formed. Credit: Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)
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How Do Arctic Fires Impact The World? NASA Study
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How Do Asteroids Deliver Water? Projectile Cannon Used to Simulate Impact
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How do astronauts draw blood in space?
Added 315 Views / 0 LikesESA astronaut Tim Peake draws some blood on the International Space Station in this how-to explainer. [Videos: Space How-Tos: Everyday Living Off-World](https://videos.space.com/p/EoYEzhMC)Credit: ESA
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How do astronauts go potty during spacewalks?
Added 278 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy are asked about how they go to the bathroom during a spacewalk. -- Going with a view? A spacewalk is the 'best view for a bathroom,' astronaut says: https://videos.space.com/m/ajM4rzLz/how-do-astronauts-go-pot
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How do astronauts sleep on space station?
Added 196 Views / 0 LikesExpedition 55/56 flight engineer Ricky Arnold explains how astronauts grab some shut eye aboard the International Space Station. -- How-tos in Space!: http://videos.space.com/m/rdSVVMs6/when-astronauts-have-to-go-bathrooms-in-space-explained-with-props?li
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How Do Astronauts Stay In Touch with Earth?
Added 554 Views / 0 LikesHow Do Astronauts Stay In Touch with Earth?
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How do glaciers melt? NASA explains
Added 93 Views / 0 LikesLearn how glaciers melt and contribute to seas rising in this animated explainer from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Doomsday Glacier melting in Antarctica means terrible news for global sea level rise: https://www.space.com/antarctica-doomsday-glacier
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How do spacecraft orbit Earth? Angular momentum explained by NASA
Added 33 Views / 0 LikesHow is it possible for the ISS to stay in orbit? Learn more about the science behind orbiting Earth and more in this NASA "STEMonstrations" video. Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center
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How do YOU prepare for a Fake Alien Invasion?
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02:44
How Do You Sleep In Space? | Video
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How Do You Work Out Without Gravity? Astronaut Workout | Video
Added 722 Views / 0 LikesAstronaut Mike Hopkins is using the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device aboard the International Space Station to perform 100 Pull Ups, Push Ups, Sit Ups and Air Squats.
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How does Curiosity snap selfies on Mars? Robotic arm choreography
Added 323 Views / 0 LikesWatch the NASA Curiosity rover's robotic arm maneuver its camera to capture 86 images that were beamed to Earth and turned into a selfie. See another amazing Curiosity selfie: https://www.space.com/mars-rover-curiosity-stunning-selfie-chemistry.htmlCredit
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How Does Curiosity Take A 'Selfie'? - Martian Year Report Video
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How Does Mars Make Liquid Water? | Video
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How does NASA monitor dust storm on Mars?
Added 141 Views / 0 LikesLearn how NASA’s satellite fleet helps provide weather Information for the missions on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech