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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00:38
See a 'hot flame' burn on space station for an experiment
Added 165 Views / 0 LikesSee footage from the Cool Flames Investigation aboard the International Space Station.Credit: NASA
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01:09
See a 'skyscraper-size' asteroid fly closer than moon in orbit animation
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesAsteroid 2023 DZ2 will safely flyby Earth on March 25, 2023 at about 107,500 miles (173,000 kilometers) away. The space rock could be the size of skyscraper, estimated to be about 144 and 325 feet (44-99 meters) in diameter. Full Story: https://www.livesc
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02:28
See a balloon-lofted telescope prepped & launched in this amazing timelapse
Added 171 Views / 0 LikesWatch the 2nd flight of the SuperBIT telescope! It launched from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Texas in June 2016. A stunning image of the 'Pillars of Creation' captured by the telescope is also included in the video. Meet SuperBit: https
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00:39
See a Chinese rocket booster's parachute system in action for controlled landing
Added 78 Views / 0 LikesA Chinese Long March 2B rocket's booster was outfitted with a parachute for a launch in May 2023. The system will provide controlled landing capabilities for the rocket.Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)
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01:04
See a Chinese rover tested on simulated Martian terrain
Added 262 Views / 0 LikesChina converted a lunar rover testing facility with simulated Martian terrain to test Mars rovers. The Tianwen-1 rover is currently en route to Red Planet after launching on July 23, 2020. Credit: Space.com / footage courtesy: China Central Television (CC
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01:01
See a dreidel spin on space station in Hannukah greetings from astronaut
Added 48 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli wishes everyone a Happy Hannukah with a dreidel and menorah on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA / Jasmin Moghbeli
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01:20
See a gas cloud fall towards Milky Way's monster black hole
Added 295 Views / 0 LikesZoom into the Sagittarius constellation to see a view of the region harboring the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. A gas cloud and other objects can be seen moving in a multi-year time-lapse. -- Star's motion around Milky Way's m
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01:37
See a helicopter on Mars for first time! Perseverance drops Ingenuity’s cover
Added 220 Views / 0 LikesThe Ingenuity helicopter’s protective covering was dropped to the surface of Mars by the Perseverance rover on March 21, 2021 (Sol 30). Credit: Space.com | imagery & audio: NASA/JPL-Caltech | produced & edited by Steve Spaleta (http://www.twitter.com/stev
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00:46
See a Mars twister and watch it move in an animation
Added 312 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured imagery of a Red Planet dust devil on March 14, 2012. Different from a tornado, this phenomena sometimes occurs on clear days when the heated surface interacts with pockets of cool air above it.Credit: NASA/JPL-
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00:55
See a massive galaxy cluster evolve in amazing simulation
Added 49 Views / 0 LikesEvolution of the most massive galaxy cluster in a high-resolution simulation of the universe. The main frame shows the gas density (brightness) and temperature (hue), with white indicating the hottest and densest gas in the intra-cluster medium. The zoom
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01:00
See a Partial Lunar Eclipse From Space Station in Awesome Time-Lapse
Added 338 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Christina Koch captured amazing imagery of the Moon as it moved right above the day/night line on Earth as seen from the International Space Station. About half way through the video a partial lunar eclipse can be seen. -- Pictures from Spa
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01:11
See a powerful 'bomb cyclone' storm form and approach California in satellite time-lapse
Added 83 Views / 0 LikesNOAA's GOES-West satellite captured imagery of a big storm brewing off the west coast of the United States. "A major storm and atmospheric river is poised to impact California today (Jan. 4) and Thursday (Jan. 5) with heavy to excessive rainfall and flood
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01:39
See a robotic Russian spaceship fly around and dock with space station in amazing time-lapse
Added 79 Views / 0 LikesRussia's Progress 83 (MS-22) cargo ship docked with the International Space Station on Feb. 11, 2023. See the approach and docking in this time-lapse. Full Story: https://www.space.com/progress-83-cargo-spacecraft-dock-international-space-stationCredit: S
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11:32
See a roll-out solar array unfurl during spacewalk in amazing helmet cam view
Added 81 Views / 0 LikesPower upgrades continued on the International Space Station with the unfurling of a ISS Roll Out Solar Array (iROSA) during a spacewalk on June 15, 2023. NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Woody Hoburg completed the installation. Full Story: https://www.spac
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03:20
See a satellite chunk burn up in plasma wind tunnel test
Added 170 Views / 0 LikesThe Solar Array Drive Mechanism (SADM), one of the 'bulkiest items' of a satellite, was burned up in a plasma wind tunnel for an atmospheric reentry test, according to the European Space Agency. Credit: ESA/DLR
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03:07
See a simulated Roman Space Telescope ultra-deep field image
Added 163 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s Roman Space Telescope images will cover 200X more sky than the Hubble Space Telescope. Astrophysicists have created a simulated ultra-deep field image to show its potential. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterScott Wiessinger (KBRwyle): Prod
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06:13
See a solar eclipse shadow from space in real-time
Added 273 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Chris Cassidy captured imagery of the moon's shadow cast on Earth from the 'ring of fire' solar eclipse that occurred on June 21, 2020. See what the astronauts saw in real-time aboard the International Space Station. -- 'Ring of fire' solar
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01:39
See a sounding rocket launch soft x-rays experiment
Added 151 Views / 0 LikesA Black Brant IX rocket launched the Diffuse X-rays from the Local galaxy mission from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Jan. 8, 2022. Credit: NASA Wallops Flight Facility
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01:03
See a SpaceX Raptor engine up-close as it's transported to Starship SN4
Added 337 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX raptor engine was transported to the Starship SN4 prototype for installation on May 11, 2020. -- SpaceX's Starship SN4 prototype passes another, tougher pressure test: https://www.space.com/starship-prototype-sn4-cryo-pressure-test.htmlCredit: SP
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01:06
See a SpaceX rocket separation create a "smoke ring" in the sky
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesWatch as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket separation creates a "smoke ring" in the sky. The amazing view was captured during the launch of the Globalstar satellite on June 19, 2022. Watch the launch: https://www.space.com/spacex-launch-globalstar-satellite-land-r