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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01:53
See the 1st Arab astronaut to spacewalk and NASA crewmate work outside ISS
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesUAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi became the 1st Arab astronaut to take a spacewalk as he and NASA astronaut Steve Bowen work outside the International Space Station on April 28, 2023. Learn more about Sultan Al Neyadi: https://www.space.com/sultan-al-neyadi
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01:19
See the 2019 Mercury Transit in Stunning 4K
Added 323 Views / 0 LikesMercury's transit of the Sun on Nov. 11, 2019 was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. -- Miss the Mercury Transit of 2019? You'll Have to Wait 13 Years for the Next One: https://www.space.com/next-mercury-transit-when-2032.htmlCredit: NASA's Go
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01:07
See the Apollo 11 Landing Site from Lunar Orbit
Added 473 Views / 0 LikesA series of images of the Apollo 11 landing site has been captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The angle of the Sun shifts the lighting of the site in this compilation of images. (Video is looped) -- Apollo 11 Landing Site Seen in Unprecedente
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00:51
See the Apollo 12, 14, and 17 Landing Sites from Lunar Orbit
Added 321 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured imagery of NASA's Apollo 12, 14, and 17 landing sites. -- Watch an Apollo 12 4-Part Mini Doc: https://videos.space.com/m/4FntMAPy/ep1-stormy-launch-to-the-ocean-of-storms?list=vceLtQahCredit: NASA Goddard Space
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07:04
See the Apollo-Era Spacesuits at NASA's Johnson Space Center
Added 352 Views / 0 LikesNASA spacesuit engineer Amy Ross descrbies the Apollo-era spacesuites on display at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Credit: Space.com
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01:45
See the Artemis 1 launch in stunning high-speed black & white footage
Added 72 Views / 0 LikesWatch the Space Launch System rocket's historic first launch in this high speed camera footage. The Artemis 1 mission blasted off from Florida on Nov. 16, 2023. [See NASA's coverage of the launch](https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-1-moon-mission-launch)C
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01:05
See the Artemis 1 spacecraft and moon ahead of crucial engine burn in time-lapse
Added 91 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft will perform an engine burn when its just 79 miles (128 kilometers) above the lunar surface on Dec. 5, 2022. Here is a time-lapse shortly before the burn when the spacecraft was about 6,000 miles (9,656 km) from the moon.
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08:08
See the Artemis 1 spacecraft's fiery Earth re-entry in amazing time-lapse
Added 44 Views / 0 LikesThe Orion spaceraft from NASA's Artemis 1 mission re-entered Earth's atmosphere on Dec. 11, 2022 after its successfull mission around the moon. See 25 minutes of re-entry and parachute footage time-lapsed to 8 minutes here.Credit: Space.com | footage cour
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01:16
See the auroras and moonrise in stunning space station time-lapse
Added 106 Views / 0 LikesESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti created this time-lapse during her second tour aboard the International Space Station. The aurora borealis occurs above the northern hemisphere of Earth. Credit: ESA
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01:05
See the Blood Moon lunar eclipse in these amazing images
Added 83 Views / 0 LikesSee images from the USA, Canada. Mexico and Australia of the Noveber 8, 2022 lunar eclipse. The photos were gathered by the Virtual Telescope Project. Credit: Gianluca Masi / Virtual Telescope Project | mash mix by Space.com's [Steve Spaleta](https://twit
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01:47
See the Blue Origin team's Artemis human landing system in new animation
Added 347 Views / 0 LikesBlue Origin has been selected to design and develop an Artemis Human Landing System. The Blue Origin 'National Team' that will build the lander includes Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Draper. Full Story: NASA picks SpaceX, Dynetics and Blue Origin
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01:30
See the Chinese space station assembly in animation & ground photos
Added 60 Views / 0 LikesWatch the Tiangong space station assembly in this time-lapse animation along taken by satellites in orbit. Full Story: https://www.space.com/china-space-station-commercial-imaging-trackedCredit: HEO Space
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01:22
See the Chinese space station's robotic arm in action
Added 188 Views / 0 LikesThe Chinese space station's 10.2-meter-long mechanical arm on the Tianhe core module was recently used to grab a docking port. See footage of the activity. Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)
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01:36
See The Chopper Being Sent to Mars
Added 267 Views / 0 LikesNASA has completed construction on a small helicopter that will travel to the Red Planet with the Mars 2020 rover. -- Helicopter Aces Tests: https://www.space.com/nasa-mars-helicopter-aces-flight-tests.htmlCredit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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03:49
See the Crab Nebula and Cassiopeia A in amazing time-lapses that 'span several decades'
Added 19 Views / 0 LikesOver 2 decades of Chandra X-ray Observatory views of the Crab Nebula and Cassiopeia A have been time-lapsed. The Chandra team explains here. Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Hobart
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00:57
See the Crab Nebula in Several Different Wavelengths | Video
Added 505 Views / 0 LikesSee the Crab Nebula in Several Different Wavelengths | Video
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00:34
See the Earth and Stars Move in Time-Lapse from Space
Added 332 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Christina Koch recently shared a star trail image captured from the International Space Station that consists of several stacked stacked, see it here: https://twitter.com/Astro_Christina/status/1149059748643258368. The same set of images ti
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02:59
See the Effects of Climate Change Across Earth
Added 545 Views / 0 LikesSee the Effects of Climate Change Across Earth
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03:03
See the European Robotic Arm unfolded for 1st time during spacewalk
Added 96 Views / 0 LikesThe European Robotic Arm was prepared for use on the International Space Station by Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev during a spacewallk on April 18, 2022.Credit: NASA
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01:10
See the Exomars 2020 Landing Site in New Animation
Added 297 Views / 0 LikesUsing imagery from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), scientists at TU Dortmund University have created a 3D animation of the designated landing site for the Exomars 2020 mission. -- Learn more about Exomars: https://www.space.com/34664-exomars-fac