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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11:33
Liftoff! China launches cargo spacecraft to Tiangong space station
Added 86 Views / 0 LikesChina's Long March 7 rocket launched the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft to the Tiangong space station on May 10, 2023. The rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China at 9:22am EDT (21:22pm BJT). [Full Story](https://www.space.c
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01:13
Liftoff! China launches Yaogan-30 family remote-sensing satellites
Added 351 Views / 0 LikesA Long March 2C rocket launched a group of Yaogan-30 family remote-sensing satellites on March 24, 2020 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China. The satellites will be used for "electromagnetic environment detection and related technol
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04:48
Liftoff! Delta IV Heavy Rocket Launches Spy Satellite | Video
Added 641 Views / 0 LikesLiftoff! Delta IV Heavy Rocket Launches Spy Satellite | Video
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04:58
Liftoff! NASA Lucy asteroid mission launches atop Atlas V rocket
Added 168 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Lucy mission to explore trojan asteroids in Jupiter's orbit launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida on Oct. 16, 2021. Credit: NASA
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03:45
Liftoff! NASA TDRS-M Satellite Launched by ULA Atlas V Rocket
Added 619 Views / 0 LikesLiftoff! NASA TDRS-M Satellite Launched by ULA Atlas V Rocket
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03:26
Liftoff! NRO Spy Satellite Launched Atop Atlas V Rocket | Video
Added 659 Views / 0 LikesLiftoff! NRO Spy Satellite Launched Atop Atlas V Rocket | Video
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10:22
Liftoff! Rocket Lab's 'Don't Stop Me Now' mission launches 5 satellites
Added 319 Views / 0 LikesRocket Lab's two-stage Electron booster launched from a launch site in New Zealand on June 13, 2020. The rocket was carrying five satellites, including three payloads for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Story: Don't stop them now: Rocket La
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02:34
Liftoff! Russia launches Prichal docking module to space station
Added 146 Views / 0 LikesA Russian-built Soyuz rocket carrying a modified Progress cargo spacecraft and the new Prichal docking module launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday (Nov. 24) at 8:06 a.m. EST (1306 GMT). Full Story: https://www.space.com/russia-pric
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04:26
Liftoff! Russian Progress 76 cargo mission launches to space station
Added 312 Views / 0 LikesA Russian Soyuz rocket launched the robotic Progress 76 supply ship from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on July 23, 2020. It is carrying three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the International Space Station. Full Story: https://www.space.com/russia-s
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03:29
Liftoff! SpaceX Launches CRS-16 Cargo Mission to Space Station
Added 409 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the CRS-16 cargo mission to the International Space Station on Dec. 5, 2018. Credit: SpaceX
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04:29
Liftoff! SpaceX launches GPS III satellite for Space Force
Added 298 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the GPS III satellite for the United States Space Force on June 30, 2020 from Launch Complex 40 of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.Credit: SpaceX
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04:16
Liftoff! SpaceX Launches NASA TESS Planet Finder Mission
Added 439 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 18, 2018. -- NASA's TESS Satellite Will Supercharge Search for Nearby, Earth-Like Worlds: https://www.
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04:19
Liftoff! SpaceX Launches Telstar 18 VANTAGE Communication Satellite
Added 473 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Telstar 18 VANTAGE sateliite on Sept. 10, 2018 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.Credit: SpaceX
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02:07
Liftoff! SpaceX Launches Two Communications Satellites | Video
Added 636 Views / 0 LikesLiftoff! SpaceX Launches Two Communications Satellites | Video
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01:29
Light blast from black hole 'spagettifying' a star spotted by ESO
Added 271 Views / 0 LikesA burst of light from tidal disruption event AT 2019qiz, located in the constellation of Eridanus, has been detected using European Southern Observatory telescopes. A star is being devoured by a black hole in the region. Credit: ESO
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01:25
Lightning and 'Probably Satellites' Seen from Space Station
Added 614 Views / 0 LikesLightning and 'Probably Satellites' Seen from Space Station
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18:32
Lightning Strikes the Bayou - I plan to go to the thingy
Added 473 Views / 0 LikesLightning Strikes the Bayou - I plan to go to the thingy
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00:40
Lightning, Milky Way, satellites & aurora in stunning ISS cupola time-lapse
Added 180 Views / 0 LikesSee an amazing time-lapse captured from the cupola aboard the International Space Station. "In addition to thunderstorms, you can see city lights, the Milky Way, satellites, and even a bit of aurora at the end," according to a tweet by astronaut Megan McA