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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04:57
NASA's WFIRST mission renamed after the 'Mother of Hubble'
Added 295 Views / 0 LikesThomas Zurbuchen, NASA's Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, announced that the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) is now called the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope after the "Mother of Hubble."Credit: NASA
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01:59
NASA's X-59 Quesst aircraft could change the rules for supersonic flight
Added 42 Views / 0 LikesNASA's X-59 Quesst supersonic aircraft, built by Lockheed Martin, could re-write the rules of supersonic flight. NASA explains. Credit: NASA
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01:34
NASA's X-66A! 'Transonic Truss-braced Wing' aircraft tested in wind tunnels
Added 63 Views / 0 LikesNASA has begun testing next-generation 'Transonic Truss-braced Wing' aircraft in hopes of developing a more eco-friendly way to travel. Meet the X-66A: https://www.space.com/nasa-us-air-force-new-x-plane-x66a-namedCredit: NASA
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08:19
NASA* says Pluto is a Planet. The Moon is a Planet. Europa is a Planet.
Added 712 Views / 0 LikesNASA* says Pluto is a Planet. The Moon is a Planet. Europa is a Planet.
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01:51
NASA, US Navy practice for Artemis 2 splashdown
Added 66 Views / 0 LikesArtemis 2 recovery operations require lots of practice. NASA and the Department of Defense did exercises in July 2023 to simulate retrieving the moon astronauts from the ocean after their mission, which is scheduled for November 2024. The exercise used he
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1:00:21
NASA/SpaceX Launch To Station -- SpaceX Webcast
Added 399 Views / 0 LikesOfficial Launch Webcast from SpaceX for the COTS 2+ launch on 5/22/2012. Webcast shot live at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. Highlights: 44:27 - Launch 47:35 - Stage Separation 53:55 - SECO, Second Engine Cutoff 56:05 - Solar Array Deploy Visit: ht
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05:01
NASA: On the Edge of Forever - International Cooperation
Added 470 Views / 0 LikesNASA: On the Edge of Forever - International Cooperation
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01:39
NASA’s Ascent Abort-2 Test of Orion
Added 569 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s Ascent Abort-2 Test of Orion
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08:47
NASA’s Big RS-25 Engine Test Fired Again in Mississippi
Added 573 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s Big RS-25 Engine Test Fired Again in Mississippi
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01:08
NASA’s CAPSTONE mission experiencing communications issues with Deep Space Network
Added 154 Views / 0 LikesThe CAPSTONE mission to the moon experience issues communicating with the Deep Space Network and "The spacecraft team currently is working to understand the cause and re-establish contact," according to NASA.Credit: Space.com | animations courtesy NASA /
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02:18
NASA’s Eyes of Earth - 20 Years of ‘Worldview’
Added 450 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Worldview website delivers and feature where you can look and interact with NASA satellite imagery and data from the last 20 years. -- Learn more about it: https://www.space.com/40812-incredible-nasa-earth-weather-time-lapse-video.htmlVisit https:/
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00:54
NASA’s First Deep Space CubeSats
Added 432 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Mars Cube One, or MarCO, is heading to deep space to test a first-of-its-kind technology demonstration: near-real-time communication between Earth and Mars using CubeSats. Learn more about the MarCO mission at: https://go.nasa.gov/marco_launch
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01:04
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft flies by asteroid Dinkinesh, discovers close binary
Added 55 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s Lucy spacecraft flies by asteroid Dinkinesh and made a suprising discovery, a close binary! Prelimanary statistics show that Dinkinesh is ~0.5 miles (790 m) wide and the binary asteroid is 0.15 miles (220 m) in size. Full Story: https://www.space.c
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02:22
NASA’s Mars MAVEN Needs Unusual Orbit To Study Atmosphere | Video
Added 667 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s Mars MAVEN Needs Unusual Orbit To Study Atmosphere | Video
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05:04
NASA’s Neutral Buoyance Lab 360 Tour
Added 65 Views / 0 LikesThe Neutral Buoyancy Lab at the Sonny Carter Training Facility is a large swimming pool where astronauts can simulate an environment similar to zero gravity – they don’t sink or float. Astronauts use it to prepare for spacewalks and train in their spacesu
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01:18
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Will Fly Fast and Close to Sun
Added 526 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s Parker Solar Probe Will Fly Fast and Close to Sun