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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22:58
Space Chat: What’s new with SpaceX's Crew-2?
Added 200 Views / 0 LikesToday at 3:00p ET (11a PT/1800 GMT), Space.com senior writer Chelsea Gohd will be taking a deep dive into SpaceX’s Crew-2 mission, which will launch four astronauts to the International Space Station where they will spend 6 and a half months living, worki
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06:23
Space Crew-5 astronauts talk 'reaching for your dreams' & Women's History Month
Added 78 Views / 0 LikesThe first Native American woman in space, NASA's Nicole Mann, talks to Space.com's Elizabeth Howell about her journey 'evolving as she grew,' during a post-Space Crew-5 splashdown press conference on March 15, 2023. Full Story: https://www.space.com/space
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01:18
Space Debris Capture Tech Launched to Space Station
Added 516 Views / 0 LikesThe University of Surrey's RemoveDebris mission was launched aboard SpaceX's CRS-14 mission on April 2, 2018. Later this year it will be deployed and will test net, harpoon and drag sail technology to tackle Earth's space debris dilemma. -- Full Story: ht
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00:52
Space Debris Captured Using a Net
Added 363 Views / 0 LikesThe RemoveDEBRIS satellite was used to successfully demonstrate space debris capture technology on orbit with the use of a net. Credit: University of Surrey / mash mix: Space.com
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Space Development Agency’s Second Tranche 0 Mission
Added 86 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Friday, September 1 at 7:26 a.m. PT (14:26 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of the Space Development Agency’s second Tranche 0 mission to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The
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Space Development Agency’s Second Tranche 0 Mission Control Audio
Added 72 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/
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Space Development Agency’s Second Tranche 0 Mission Control Audio
Added 80 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/
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Space Development Agency’s Second Tranche 0 Mission Control Audio
Added 68 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/
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17:41
Space Development Agency’s Tranche 0 Mission
Added 93 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Thursday, March 30 at 7:29 a.m. PT (14:29 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 0 mission to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. If needed,
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Space Development Agency’s Tranche 0 Mission
Added 99 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Friday, March 31 at 7:29 a.m. PT (14:29 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 0 mission to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The first sta
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03:58
Space Engineers Monitor the Environment to Prevent Disaster
Added 29 Views / 0 LikesJoin our space engineers on an interstellar journey armed with DIY tools from the spacecraft. Witness the challenges in monitoring and adapting to fluctuating radiation and temperature, when swift action is crucial for survival. Explore how modern technol
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02:56
Space Engineers Tackle Morse Code Communication
Added 34 Views / 0 LikesJoin our space engineers as they tackle a communication crisis using DIY ingenuity in a remote setting. Learn to construct an IR Morse Code communicator with a Raspberry Pi, IR transceiver, and display, showcasing the power of creative solutions. Witness
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SPACE Exploration - Artemis I Moon Mission Preview, Take 2
Added 129 Views / 0 LikesWill NASA’s #Artemis1 moon mission lift off this time? Tariq Malik, Editor-in-Chief of Space.com, is back on site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission was originally scheduled to launch on Monday, Aug. 29. The next targeted launch window
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SPACE Exploration - NASA launches Artemis I Moon Mission
Added 124 Views / 0 Likes@NASA’s first #Artemis mission is “go” for launch within the next week, if all goes according to plan. ???? ???? Tariq Malik is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com. He is normally based out of our New York City office, overseeing a team of reporters on astro
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02:10
Space Force missile detection satellite to launch atop Atlas V - Mission profile
Added 127 Views / 0 LikesA United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is scheduled to launch the Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (SBIRS GEO 6) for the US Space Force in August 2022. -- See the SBIRS GEO 5 launch in May 2021: https://www.space.com/atlas-v-rocket-
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06:39
Space Force missile-warning satellite launches atop Atlas V rocket
Added 204 Views / 0 LikesA United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket launched the Designated Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit Flight 5 (SBIRS Geo-5) satellite from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on May 18, 2021. Cr
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04:09
Space Force shoots down ballistic missile in exoatmospheric kill vehicle test
Added 41 Views / 0 LikesThe U.S. Missile Defense Agency, in cooperation with U.S. Space Force Space Launch Delta 30 and the U.S. Space Command, launched a two-stage Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Dec. 11. The interceptor featured an exoatmosph
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01:32
Space Force's Tactically Responsive Launch-2 mission explained
Added 164 Views / 0 LikesTactically Responsive Launch-2 mission launch was a "demonstration of a speed, agility, and flexibility in space launch," according to Vandenberg Space Force Base. It was air launched using a Pegasus rocket on June 13, 2021. Credit: Vandenberg Space Force
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01:17
Space Ghost! Creepy New Hubble Image Just In Time for Halloween
Added 286 Views / 0 LikesTwin galaxies AM 2026-424 have been imaged using the Hubble Space Telescope - and it's a "MONSTER-sized face." Story: Space Ghost! Spooky Face with Glowing Eyes in Creepy Hubble Photo https://www.space.com/hubble-space-ghost-galaxy-collision-image.htmlCre
