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)
-
01:27
NASA Engineer Helps Track the Global Impacts of Rising Seas | Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich
Added 279 Views / 0 LikesEarth’s surface is covered by 70% ocean. Rising seas caused by climate change affect everyone across the globe, from coastal communities to those living inland. Growing up in landlocked Zimbabwe, NASA JPL engineer Shailen Desai was far from the ocean but
-
01:35
NASA Engineer Observes Sea Level Rise from Space for 30 Years | Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich
Added 269 Views / 0 LikesSea level across the globe is rising as a result of a changing climate — and the rates at which it is rising are accelerating. For NASA JPL engineer Parag Vaze, studying Earth’s rising ocean has been a career three decades in the making. The launch of the
-
02:58
NASA exoplanet hunter's primary mission is complete - TESS Highlights
Added 264 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) primary mission was completed on July 4, 2020. The satellite has imaged 75 percent of the sky, here are some of the highlights. -- TESS: NASA's Search for Earth-Like Planets: https://www.space.com/39939-
-
05:32
NASA Explains Moon Return Plans in Stunning Animated Short
Added 311 Views / 0 LikesNASA intends to return to the moon to stay. The infrastructure needed to make it possible is explained. Narrated by 'Star Wars' actress Kelly Marie Tran. -- Learn More About NASA's Artemis Program: https://www.space.com/artemis-program.htmlCredit: NASA
-
03:30
NASA Extracts Oxygen From Lunar Soil Simulant
Added 54 Views / 0 LikesResources like oxygen are crucial building blocks in NASA’s plans to establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface. In addition to using oxygen for breathing, it can also be used as a propellant for transportation, helping lunar visitors stay longer
-
13:10
NASA finds a Woman on Mars. Yes. No & Maybe.
Added 778 Views / 0 LikesNASA finds a Woman on Mars. Yes. No & Maybe.
-
05:46
NASA finds Aliens* or Did Aliens find NASA*? Disclosure has begun!
Added 696 Views / 0 LikesNASA finds Aliens* or Did Aliens find NASA*? Disclosure has begun!
-
25:01
NASA finds another Brown Dwarf in our Solar Neighborhood! - THORnews 420 Technical Difficulties
Added 616 Views / 0 LikesNASA finds another Brown Dwarf in our Solar Neighborhood! - THORnews 420 Technical Difficulties
-
08:04
NASA finds Mysterious Unexplained Ancient Relics
Added 641 Views / 0 LikesNASA finds Mysterious Unexplained Ancient Relics
-
10:51
NASA fires up Artemis moon rocket engine for 10.5 minutes
Added 79 Views / 0 LikesThe Space Launch System rocket's RS-25 engine was fired up for certification test at NASA's Stennis Space Center on May 10, 2023. The hotfire test last 10.5 minutes and produced "up to 418,000 pounds of sea-level thrust," according to NASA.Credit: NASA St
-
09:43
NASA fires up Artemis moon rocket engine for 550 second test
Added 61 Views / 0 LikesThe Space Launch System rocket's RS-25 engine was fired up on Oct. 17, 2023 for the “final round of certification testing ahead of production of an updated set of the engines," according to NASA. The test occurred at the space agency’s Stennis Space Cente
-
08:42
NASA fires up Artemis RS-25 rocket engine for 8.5 minutes
Added 151 Views / 0 LikesNASA conducted a hot fire test of the RS-25 rocket engine at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on Feb. 24, 2022. [NASA getting SLS megarockets ready for crewed moon missions](https://www.space.com/nasa-building-sls-megarockets-crewed-moon-missions)T
-
09:38
NASA fires up redesigned RS-25 engine for Artemis V and beyond
Added 71 Views / 0 LikesNASA test-fired a RS-25 rocket engine on Feb. 8, 2023 at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on March 8, 2023. It was the "third hot fire test of an ongoing certification series for the redesigned RS-25 engine," according to NASA. Credit: NASA Stennis
-
10:40
NASA fires up RS-25 engine for 600 seconds in Mississippi
Added 67 Views / 0 LikesNASA conducted a long duration hot-fire test of an RS-25 certification engine at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on March 21, 2023. The test ran for 600 seconds, 100 seconds more than needed for an actual Space Launch System rocket launch.Credit: NASA
-
09:00
NASA fires up RS-25 engine to test new nozzle for 'Artemis V and beyond'
Added 79 Views / 0 LikesNASA has test-fired a "certification engine for the new batch of RS-25 engines" on Feb. 8, 2023 at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, according to Aerojet Rocketdyne. They tested a new nozzle that is designed to be used on Space Launch System rocket
-
08:38
NASA fires up RS-25 rocket engine for first time in 2022
Added 144 Views / 0 LikesNASA conducted a hot fire test of the RS-25 rocket engine at the Stennis Space Center on Jan. 19, 2022. -- NASA getting SLS megarockets ready for crewed moon missions: https://www.space.com/nasa-building-sls-megarockets-crewed-moon-missionsEngine power le
-
01:18
NASA fires up subscale Artemis moon rocket engine in new design effort
Added 125 Views / 0 LikesNASA is designing a new solid rocket engine for post-Artemis 8 use. See a subscale version of the booster test-fired at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: NASA/Samuel Lott | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https://twitter.co
-
01:19
NASA fires up subscale booster for Artemis moon rocket testing
Added 45 Views / 0 LikesNASA test fired a subscale Space Launch System rocket booster in September 2023. They are upgrading the booster design for Artemis 8 and beyond. Credit: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
-
07:49
NASA found 15,000 Near Earth Asteroids
Added 614 Views / 0 LikesNASA found 15,000 Near Earth Asteroids