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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01:01
SpaceX Rocket's First Stage Crashes During Landing Attempt | Video
Added 683 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX Rocket's First Stage Crashes During Landing Attempt | Video
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01:50
SpaceX scrubs Space Force satellite launch 2 seconds before liftoff
Added 280 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX scribbed a Falcon 9 rocket launch of the GPS III SV04 satellite for the U.S. Space Force and Air Force on Oct. 2, 2020. -- SpaceX Falcon 9 suffers launch abort during GPS satellite launch: https://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-s
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09:19
SpaceX scrubs Starship's 1st space launch attempt due to 'pressurization issue'
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX had to scrub the first launch attempt of the fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy booster on April 17, 2023. The earliest the next launch attempt will be is April 19. Full Story: https://www.space.com/spacex-scrubs-first-space-launch-starshipC
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01:53
SpaceX shipping tardigrades, baby squid and more to space station
Added 141 Views / 0 LikesWater bears, newly hatched squid and more will be shipped to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's 22nd cargo mission. Full Story: https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-crs-22-launching-squid-tardigradesCredit: NASA
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00:53
SpaceX spacesuit gets '5 stars' from Demo-2 astronaut
Added 337 Views / 0 LikesNASA's SpaceX Demo-2 astronaut Bob Behnken gives SpaceX spacesuit "5 stars" when asked about it in a press conference on the International Space Station on June 1, 2020. -- SpaceX's historic Demo-2 Crew Dragon astronaut launch: Full coverage: https://www.
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02:20
SpaceX spacesuits - Take a deep dive
Added 362 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's sleek new spacesuits are "one part of the bigger Dragon system, its really a part of the vehicle," according to Chris Driggs, SpaceX space suits and crew equipment manager. -- SpaceX's historic Demo-2 Crew Dragon astronaut launch: Full coverage:
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01:21
SpaceX spacesuits are a new breed
Added 339 Views / 0 LikesAstronauts launching to space aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft will be sporting a next-generation spacesuit. It is "designed to be functional, lightweight, and to offer protection from potential depressurization," according to NASA. Credit: Space.co
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10:31
SpaceX splashdown! Axiom Space Ax-2 crew back on Earth
Added 71 Views / 0 LikesRecord-breaking astronaut Peggy Whitson and her Axiom Space Ax-2 crewmates John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni, and Rayyanah Barnawi splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom on May 30, 2023.Credit: SpaceX
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04:38
SpaceX Splashdown: NASA Chief Talks Historic Achievemnent
Added 363 Views / 0 LikesNASA administrator Jim Bridenstine talks about the historic achievements of the SpaceX Demo-1 mission. -- SpaceX Crew Dragon Splashes Down in Atlantic to Cap Historic Test Flight: https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-returns-to-earth.htmlCredit: NASA
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01:04
SpaceX stacks Starship in preparation for third test flight - time-lapse and photos
Added 37 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX has stacked Starship to prepare for a full launch rehearsal at their Starbase facility in south Texas. The massive rocket is being readied for its third integrated test flight. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: SpaceX | edited by Steve Spaleta
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01:25
SpaceX Starhip loaded with over 10 million pounds of propellant in launch rehearsal
Added 60 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX Starship was run through a wet dress rehearsal for launch on Oct. 24, 2023. See and amazing drone view of the frosty rocket as it was filled with over 10 million pounds of propellant. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: SpaceX | edited by [Steve
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00:48
SpaceX Starhopper Completes First Tethered Hop - Webcam Video
Added 340 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX completed the first tethered hop of their Starhopper vehicle on April 3, 2019 in Boca Chica, Texas. (video is looped several times)Credit: SPadre.com
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02:59
SpaceX Starhopper Launches on 500-Foot Test Flight
Added 313 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Starhopper prototype for the company's planned Starship and Super Heavy spacecraft launched on its highest flight yet on Aug. 27, 2019. -- Story: SpaceX Starhopper Rocket Prototype Aces Highest (and Final) Test Flight: https://www.space.com/space
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00:28
SpaceX Starhopper Takes First Untethered Hop!
Added 266 Views / 0 LikesThe SpaceX Starhopper prototype took its first untethered hop on July 25, 2019. -- Full Story: https://www.space.com/spacex-starhopper-first-untethered-hop-success.htmlCredit: SpaceX
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00:52
SpaceX Starhopper Test-Fires Have Begun
Added 375 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX began test-firing their Starship prototype 'Starhopper' in April 2019. It is tethered to the ground for these initial hops. -- SpaceX's 'Starhopper' Starship Prototype Aced Its 1st Hop, Elon Musk Sayshttps://www.space.com/spacex-starhopper-prototyp
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01:30
SpaceX Starhopper's Test Hop Aborted Shortly After Engine Fired
Added 348 Views / 0 LikesOn July 24, 2019, SpaceX fired it's Starhopper engine for about 3 seconds before a 'test hop' of the prototype vehicle was aborted. The test occurred at a SpaceX facility in Texas. -- Starhopper Survived a Fireball on July 16 Test: https://www.space.com/s
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01:39
SpaceX Starlink 'train' passes over Northern Lights in 'Aurora Chasers' video
Added 99 Views / 0 LikesPhotography tour guides, called the [Aurora Chasers](https://www.theaurorachasers.com/), captured a 'train' of Starlink satellites pass over the northern lights above Alaska on Sept. 2, 2022. Full Story: https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites-au
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01:02
SpaceX Starlink satellites deployed in stunning view from space
Added 68 Views / 0 LikesA batch of Starlink satellites were deployed by SpaceX shortly after launch on Sept. 16, 2023. See multiple views captured by cameras aboard the Falcon 9 rocket second stage. Watch the launch: https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-launch-group-6-16Credit:
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01:11
SpaceX Starlink satellites seen by Space Station
Added 321 Views / 0 LikesOn April 13, 2020, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured imagery of a train of SpaceX Starlink satellites orbiting Earth. Credit: NASA / mash mix by Space.com's [Steve Spaleta](http://www.twitter.com/stevespaleta)
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00:40
SpaceX Starlink Satellites Spotted Over Netherlands
Added 345 Views / 0 LikesLess than 24 hours after SpaceX's launch of the first 60 Starlink satellites, amateur astronomer Dr. Marco Langbroek (sattrackcam.blogspot.com) captured them streaking over the Netherlands. -- Elon Musk: 'So Far, So Good' for Starlink Sats: https://www.sp