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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10:49
Splashdown! SpaceX Dragon with Crew-7 returns to Earth after 6 months in space
Added 34 Views / 0 LikesNASA's SpaceX Crew-7's Jasmin Moghbeli, Andreas Mogensen, Satoshi Furukawa, and Konstantin Borisov are back on Earth after splashing down off the coast of Florida on March 12, 2024. Full Story: https://www.space.com/nasa-spacex-crew-7-astronauts-return-to
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01:12
SpaceX Crew Dragon ‘Endeavour’ was flown manually on space station docking day
Added 331 Views / 0 LikesDuring their approach to the International Space Station, the crew of the SpaceX Crew Dragon 'Endeavour' conducted a manual piloting test. This video is an excerpt of the test, showing thrusters being activated manually. Credit: SpaceX/NASA/mash mix: Spac
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07:53
Stunning Stargazing In Yosemite National Park | Video
Added 758 Views / 0 LikesFar away from light pollution and high up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Yosemite National Park's stunning views of the night sky and majestic natural wonders attract astronomers, photographers and city dwellers from around the country.
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64000 Lightning Strikes is a sign of Summer 2019 Odyssey Energy!
Added 306 Views / 0 LikesI'm sorta punch drunk. This one is rambly. There have been 64,000 lightning strikes in the last 48 hours so we are taking the Asteroid Fight Club wild weather watch up to a record notch. Stay cool. Be Aware. Have fun.God bless everyone,TT LEWISON5430 BIRD
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Ax-1 Mission | Return
Added 130 Views / 0 LikesOn Sunday, April 24 at 9:10 p.m. ET (00:10 UTC Monday, April 25), Dragon and the Ax-1 astronauts undocked from the International Space Station to return to Earth. After performing a series of burns to move away from the space station, Dragon will conduct
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Merlin Engine Full Duration Firing
Added 405 Views / 0 LikesFour views of Merlin 1a engine test, on Vertical Test Stand 1 (VTS-1), with Mission Duty Cycle test - operating for the length and thrust levels of an actual first stage flight, McGregor, Texas.
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Hurricane Watch! Big Severe NE Storm! Wild Wildfires! Rain & Floods! 3 Sunspots! Mexico Cracks!
Added 194 Views / 0 Likeswe are on Red alert all week, y'all.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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01:59
Space to Ground: CRS-30: March 22, 2024
Added 33 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
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03:25
Sumer Triangle, planets, moon and more in June 2020 skywatching
Added 334 Views / 0 LikesFind out where to find Mars, Saturn and Jupiter in June. Also, learn about the Summer Triangle and summer solstice. -- Night sky, June 2020: What you can see this month: https://www.space.com/16149-night-sky.htmlCredit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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02:55
Space to Ground: Night Launch: March 3, 2023
Added 81 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
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01:10
Fast Spinning Pulsar's Wobbles Whip-Up Plasma Jets | Video
Added 734 Views / 0 LikesJust 12 miles across, a collapsed star 1000 light years from Earth spins more than 11 times each second. The Vela pulsar belches charged particles at 70% of light-speed, seen here in this 8-frame movie from the space-based Chandra X-ray Observatory.
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00:49
Tropical Storm Barry Seen From Space
Added 298 Views / 0 LikesNOAA’s GOES-East satellite captured imagery of Tropical Storm Barry over the Gulf of Mexico on July 12, 2019. Credit: NOAA / mash mix: Space.com
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09:10
SpaceX launches new Starlink batch to top off busy week, nails landing
Added 130 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX launched 53 satellites from from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on April 29, 2022. Also, in the past 5 days, the SpaceX Ax-1 mission splashed down and launched Crew-4.Credit: SpaceX
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NASA Space Launch System Rocket Core Stage - Underneath the Hood
Added 501 Views / 0 LikesNASA Space Launch System Rocket Core Stage - Underneath the Hood
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04:32
THE OCEAN IS ON FIRE AGAIN. The Caspian Sea erupts & explodes. Mud Volcano blamed.
Added 155 Views / 0 LikesWe live in strange & dangerous times.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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00:53
Zoom into the Milky Way's Sagittarius A* black hole! New Event Horizon Telescope image
Added 32 Views / 0 LikesA new image of supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration "has uncovered strong and organised magnetic fields spiraling from its edge," according to ESO. Zoom into the view here. Credit: ESO/L. Ca
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Starlink Mission Control Audio
Added 291 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/