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)
-
10:30
Ax-2 farewell! Astronaut Peggy Whitson's emotional good-bye to space station & more
Added 7 Views / 0 LikesRecord-breaking astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Axiom Space Ax-2 crewmates John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni, and Rayyanah Barnawi say good-bye to the International Space Station in a farewell ceremony on May 29, 2023. The crew is returning to Earth on May 30 ab
-
04:36
China's Shenzhou 16 crew docks and enters Tiangong space station
Added 8 Views / 0 LikesShenzhou 16 taikonauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao have arrived at the Tiangong space station after a roughly 7 hour flight. The crew launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center atop a Long March 2F rocket. See the launch: https://www.
-
10:55
Blastoff! China launches Shenzhou 16 crew to Tiangong space station
Added 17 Views / 0 LikesA Long March 2F rocket launched Shenzhou 16 taikonaut Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao from the to the Tiangong space station from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on May 29, 2022 (May 30th - Beijing time). Credit: China Central Television (CC
-
Watch live! China's Shenzhou 16 crew launches to Tiangong space station
Added 15 Views / 0 LikesA Long March 2F rocket is scheduled to launch Shenzhou 16 crew members Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao to the Tiangong space station on May 29, 2022 (May 30th - Beijing time). Coverage begins at 6:25pm ET with launch set for 9:31pm ET. Read more
-
01:36
China rolls out Shenzhou 16 crew's rocket in awesome views from launch site
Added 8 Views / 0 LikesOn May 22, 2023, China rolled out the Long March 2F rocket that will launch the Shenzhou 16 crew. The rocket is set to lift-off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 9:31pm ET on May 29 (9:31am BJT - May 30). Watch the launch live: https://www.youtu
-
01:59
Red* Alert*! Hurricane Season 2023 Tropical Storm watch for Florida & surrounding areas begins now!
Added 14 Views / 0 LikesHurricane season is almost upon us.Stay Cool & Be Prepared.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
-
03:21
Webb and Chandra telescopes in space team up for amazing imagery
Added 11 Views / 0 LikesSee composites created using James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory imagery. A pair of galaxies, a nebula, and a star cluster are the targets. Full Story: https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-chandra-x-ray-observatoryCredit:
-
04:02
Debt Ceiling Crisis averted as Wild Quetzalcoatl storm says* "HURRICANE SEASON 2023 APPROACHES."
Added 11 Views / 0 LikesHave a super weekend, y'all.God bless everyone,T
-
09:18
Blastoff! SpaceX launches big Arabsat BADR-8 satellite, nail landing
Added 14 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the nearly 5 ton Arabsat BADR-8 telecommunications satellite from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 27, 2023. Full Story: https://www.space.com/spacex-arabsat-badr-8-launch The rocket's first stage land
-
ARABSAT BADR-8 Mission Control Audio
Added 19 Views / 0 LikesThis is the vehicle trajectory and mission control audio without any additional commentary. There may be very long periods of silence. For our full hosted webcast, visit https://www.spacex.com/launches/
-
02:11
Starship | First Integrated Flight Test | Recap
Added 14 Views / 0 LikesStarship gave us quite a show during the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship (S24) and Super Heavy rocket (B7) from Starbase in Texas.On April 20, 2023 at 8:33 a.m. CT, Starship successfully lifted off from the orbital launch pad for the firs
-
01:01
Me & the Red Hot Chili Peppers singing By The Way at Minute Maid Park Houston Texas #peace
Added 15 Views / 0 Likes -
10:40
Blastoff! Rocket Lab launches NASA's TROPICS hurricane-watching cubesats
Added 9 Views / 0 LikesA Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched the second pair of NASA TROPICS cubesats from New Zealand's North Island at 11:46 p.m. EDT on May 25, 2023 (0346 GMT on May 26). Full Story: https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-second-tropics-hurricane-launch-may-2023Cre
-
02:40
Space to Ground: A Full House: May 26,2023
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #AskNASA to talk to us.Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:https://www.nasa.gov/iss-scien
-
03:01
Watch Virgin Galactic soar to suborbital space for 5th time in amazing views
Added 8 Views / 0 LikesVirgin Galactic took VSS Unity for a suborbital ride on May 25, 2023. Aboard the space plane were Beth Moses, the company's chief astronaut instructor, astronaut instructor Luke Mays, and mission specialists Christopher Huie and Jamila Gilbert. The pilots