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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05:38
Shuttle 'Business Trip' vs 'Moving' To Station - Astronaut Terry Virts Interview | Video
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Women on funny Money! Oprah on the $20! Everyone gets one!
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Did Selena Gomez & Ariana Grande cause the Major Washington DC Power Outage?
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NASA To Probe Europa For Signs Of Life | Video
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Earth: One Full Day From One Million Miles | Time-Lapse Video
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Asteroid Threat: Cutting Through Red Tape To Save The World | Video
Added 676 Views / 0 LikesB612 Foundation CEO and fmr. NASA astronaut Ed Lu talks about why an infrared space telescope is needed to search for hundreds of thousands of undocumented near-Earth asteroids and why they are doing it privately. More here: http://goo.gl/CX5Sgd
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Newly Discovered 400-Foot Asteroid To Zip Past Earth | Orbit Animation
Added 676 Views / 0 LikesThe space rock was discovered on Dec. 23rd, 2013 and will be makes its closest approach to Earth (3.6 lunar distance) on Jan. 3rd, 2014. Its is estimated to be 102 meters or 400 feet-wide.
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Mars Atmosphere Today Could Explain Planet's Past Tragedy | Video
Added 676 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Mars MAVEN mission (arriving 21 September 2014) will detect and measure how the solar wind interacts with the Red Planet's atmosphere, giving clues to where its water went and why.
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02:13
Astronauts Congratulate Gravity's Oscar Success | Video
Added 676 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Mike Massimino&Cady Coleman and members of the Expedition 38 crew aboard the International Space Station salute the great night the movie had at the 2014 Oscar Awards show.
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03:43
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Added 676 Views / 0 LikesThe ISS Progress 55 resupply craft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 9th, 2014. The 3 tons of food, fuel and gear on board will reach the Station in about 6 hours. Read more: http://goo.gl/jIMJG1
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Asymmetric Supernova Remnants May Mark Black Holes | Simulation
Added 676 Views / 0 LikesThrough simulations of twisting magnetic fields around collapsing cores of massive stars, Caltech astrophysicists study the previously puzzling appearance of certain double-lobed remnant nebulae. Such fields may contribute to black hole formation.
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NASA Quickly Preps Aircraft For Arctic Warming Research | Video
Added 676 Views / 0 LikesNASA Quickly Preps Aircraft For Arctic Warming Research | Video
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Oceanic Fukushima Demon throws a shit snowball at USA
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European Space Agency In 2015 - Highlight Video
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Comet 67P Outburst Slams Rosetta Probe With Dust | Video
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Cat’s Paw and Lobster Nebulae Captured By Very Large Telescope | Video
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'Gravity' Evocative of Astronaut's Real Space Experience | Video
Added 675 Views / 0 LikesSPOILER ALERT - Fmr. NASA astronaut Tom Jones talks about how similar some of the aspects of the movie are to the real thing. Recorded at Popular Mechanic's screening of the movie on October 3rd, 2013. (Many key elements of the movie are discussed) -- Mor