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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Falcon 1 DemoFlight 2 Launch
Added 383 Views / 0 LikesFalcon 1 Demonstration Flight 2. View from Omelek Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, and Falcon 1 onboard camera. Reaches altitude of 289 km and velocity of 5.1 km/s.
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MISSION HIGHLIGHTS | SpaceX CRS-2 Mission to Space Station
Added 637 Views / 0 LikesVideo highlights from SpaceX's second CRS (Commercial Resupply Services) mission to the International Space Station.
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Next Gen Falcon 9 | Demonstration Flight
Added 441 Views / 0 LikesAt 9:00 a.m. PDT on September 29, 2013, the upgraded Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a successful demonstration mission delivering the CASSIOPE satellite to orbit.
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SpaceX Testing - Dragon Drop Test (HD)
Added 442 Views / 0 LikesVisit: http://www.spacex.com/ for more information on SpaceX, Dragon, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, upcoming rocket launches, or Elon Musk. SpaceX conducted the Dragon high altitude drop test on 12 August 2010 to validate the parachute deployment systems and re
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COTS Intro Video Feb 2009
Added 254 Views / 0 LikesNASA Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project
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SpaceX Next - Crew Transport to ISS (simulation)
Added 517 Views / 0 LikesVisit: http://www.spacex.com/ for more information on SpaceX, Dragon, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, reusable rockets, grasshopper, Mars, upcoming rocket launch, or Elon Musk. This video illustrates SpaceX's vision for providing crew transportation services to t
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The Future of Design
Added 523 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is exploring methods for engineers to accelerate their workflow by designing more directly in 3D. We are integrating breakthroughs in sensor and visualization technologies to view and modify designs more naturally and efficiently than we could usin
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Grasshopper Divert | Single Cam (Grasshopper vs. Cows)
Added 461 Views / 0 LikesNo cows were injured during the making of this video.
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01:36
Grasshopper 325m Test | Single Camera (Hexacopter)
Added 465 Views / 0 LikesOn June 14, SpaceX's Grasshopper flew 325 m (1066 feet)--higher than Manhattan's Chrysler Building--before smoothly landing back on the pad. For the first time in this test, Grasshopper made use of its full navigation sensor suite with the F9-R closed loo
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Falcon 9-Reusable (F9-R) 1st Stage Firing
Added 525 Views / 0 LikesTest firing of the first stage of F9-R--advanced prototype for the world's first reusable rocket. The test took place at SpaceX's rocket development facility in McGregor, TX, lasting 112 seconds. Unlike airplanes, a rocket's thrust increases with altitude
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Falcon 1 Vandenberg Static Fire
Added 486 Views / 0 LikesFalcon 1 rocket static test firing prior to launch, at Vandenberg AFB, Space Launch Complex 3 West (SLC-3W).
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03:31
SpaceX Testing - Falcon 9 Engine Test
Added 542 Views / 0 LikesThe full mission duration test firing of the Falcon 9 first stage lasting nearly 3 minutes. The nine Merlin engines produced 855,000 lbs. of thrust and consumed over half a million pounds of liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene during the test. More in
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Grasshopper Divert | Single Cam
Added 446 Views / 0 LikesOn August 13th, the Falcon 9 test rig (code name Grasshopper) completed a divert test, flying to a 250m altitude with a 100m lateral maneuver before returning to the center of the pad. The test demonstrated the vehicle's ability to perform more aggressive
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03:44
Mission Overview | Next Gen Falcon 9 Demonstration Flight
Added 463 Views / 0 LikesOn Sunday, Sept. 29th, SpaceX successfully completed the demonstration mission of its upgraded Falcon 9 rocket, delivering the CASSIOPE, CUSat, DANDE and POPACS satellites to their targeted orbits. Read more about the mission at www.spacex.com/news.
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Grasshopper 250m Test | Natural Sound
Added 525 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Grasshopper flies 820 feet, tripling its March 7th leap. Grasshopper is a 10-story Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle that SpaceX has designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to Earth intact. While most rocke
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00:58
SpaceX Fairing Separation Test
Added 435 Views / 0 LikesVideo of SpaceX's 5.2m fairing—designed in-house by SpaceX—undergoing testing in the world's largest vacuum chamber at NASA Glenn Research Center -- Plum Brook Station. SpaceX's fairing is used to protect a satellite during launch. Separation occurs when
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Ride-Along View: Grasshopper 12-Story Test Flight 12/17/12
Added 434 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Grasshopper takes a 12-story leap towards full and rapid rocket reusability in a test flight conducted December 17, 2012 at SpaceX's rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas. Grasshopper, a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (VTVL), rose
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SpaceX CRS-1 Mission Update: 10/22/2012
Added 387 Views / 0 LikesAn update on the SpaceX CRS-1 mission to the International Space Station. For continuing coverage of the mission, visit spacex.com/webcast and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/spacex.
