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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NASA Astronauts Read Fan Mail
Added 350 Views / 0 LikesWe’re thankful for YOU! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, our astronauts took time to answer some great questions from fan mail they received. Find out what it’s like to be an astronaut and travel to space. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and keep sending us your
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Plastic Moon: Propylene Detected On Titan | Video
Added 513 Views / 0 LikesThe main ingredient in industrial plastic number 5, has been detected in the atmosphere of the Saturn moon. The propylene molecule was missing in Voyager 1's probe of the moon in 1980, and had baffled scientists until now.
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Watch Mars Helicopter Ingenuity soar on flights 30 and 31
Added 112 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity recently completed a pair of flights after a two month layoff. See the first imagery from flight 31 (Sept. 6) and a time-lapse from flight 30 (Aug. 20). Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech | edited by St
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Fireball over Michigan likely dead Russian satellite reentry
Added 136 Views / 0 LikesThe American Meteor Society (AMS) received several reports of a fireball seen over Michigan and surrounding US states on October 20, 2021. It was likely the reentry of a defunct Russian satellite known as Kosmos-2551. Full Story: https://www.space.com/rus
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Gulf & Atlantic Disturbances, 122 degrees Heat in USA & super Severe Weather
Added 524 Views / 0 LikesGulf & Atlantic Disturbances, 122 degrees Heat in USA & super Severe Weather
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Space Station leak 'ticked up' overnight, NASA investigating
Added 234 Views / 0 LikesNASA continues to investigate an atmosphere leak aboard the International Space Station. Kenny Todd, NASA deputy manager for the International Space Station, explains the situation. Credit: NASA
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Can 2 exoplanets share same orbit? New discovery shows strong evidence
Added 63 Views / 0 LikesAtacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the PDS 70 star system has revealed that exoplanet PDS 70b may have a sibling.CreditL: ESO
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Boeing Starliner Launch Prep - Inside Mission Control and Crew Access Arm
Added 372 Views / 0 LikesFinal rehearsals are underway at Boeing Mission Control and the Crew Access Arm for the first-ever Starliner launch. -- Here's How Much NASA Is Paying Per Seat on SpaceX's Crew Dragon & Boeing's Starliner: https://www.space.com/spacex-boeing-commercial-cr
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Rare Impulsive X-Flare Bombards Earth With X-Ray Radiation | Video
Added 591 Views / 0 LikesA quick-peaking X3 flare stitched a rare 'magnetic crochet' in Earth's upper atmosphere, causing a spike in our planet's magnetic field on 4 November 2013, recorded by Alexander Avtanski's homemade magnetometer in San Jose, CA, says Spaceweather.
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Rocket Lab's Electron rocket launches Strix-1 radar satellite
Added 107 Views / 0 LikesAn Electron rocket launched Synspective's Strix-1 radar satellite from Rocket Lab's New Zealand site on the North Island's Mahia Peninsula on Sep.t. 15, 2022 (Sept. 16 local time). The Rocket Lab mission was dubbed "The Owl Spreads Its Wings." Credit: Roc
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Hurricane Florence’s Well-Defined Eye Seen From Space - Sept. 12
Added 429 Views / 0 LikesCategory 4 Hurricane Florence was captured using an International Space Station's exterior camera on Wednesday Sept. 12, 2018. -- Hurricane Florence Isn't Alone: 4 Powerful Storms Seen from Space in 1 Day: https://www.space.com/41790-4-powerful-storms-see
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NASA imagines explorers visiting planets, moons & alien worlds
Added 163 Views / 0 LikesTake a trip off-world with NASA's "Exoplanet Travel Bureau" in this incredible trailer. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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Added 541 Views / 0 LikesWhat Does a Solar Eclipse Feel Like?
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Red Alert! Category 2 Hurricane Predicted to Hit Louisiana & DOUBLE HURRICANE TROUBLE is possible!
Added 278 Views / 0 LikesIt's going to be a wild week.God bless everyone,T LEWISON5430 BIRDWOOD RD. #416HOUSTON TEXAS 77096https://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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NASA spacecraft's flyby of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io is stunning!
Added 66 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Juno spacecraft made a close flyby of Jupiter moon Io in May 2023. See an animation of the images the probe captured created by Koji Kuramura and Gerald Eichstädt. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS | edited by Space.com's Steve Spaleta (https://tw
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Added 367 Views / 0 LikesIt's almost my birthday.God bless everyone,T5430 Birdwood Rd. #416Houston Texas 77096
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1300-Foot-Wide Asteroid 2013 TV135's Near-Earth Flyby | Orbit Animation
Added 758 Views / 0 LikesThe space rock was discovered on October 8th, 2013 by the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Ukraine. It came within 4.2 million miles and currently has a 1 in 63000 chance of impacting Earth in 2032. Read more about it here: http://goo.gl/UYDdCd Credit