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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01:02
Take a lap around Earth in new Space Station time-lapse
Added 284 Views / 0 LikesNew International Space Station (ISS) imagery, captured on July 12, 2020, has been compiled to show an orbit and a half of Earth. The ISS orbits our home planet in approximately 90 minutes. Imagery credit : Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA/JSC
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08:09
Take a Rocket Lab ride back to Earth in epic booster cam time-lapse
Added 65 Views / 0 LikesA Rocket Lab booster cam captured video from separation to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on July 17, 2023. The footage has been time-lapsed. Watch the launch: https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-electron-launch-recovery-july-2023Credit: Space.com | footage
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03:38
Take a tour of Uranus! Now with x-ray imagery
Added 197 Views / 0 LikesThe Chandra X-ray Observatory has detected x-rays emitted from Uranus for the first time. The sun causes the planet to emit x-rays, according to the Chandra team. -- Uranus is belching X-rays and is weirder than we ever thought: https://www.space.com/uran
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08:37
Take a Vulcan 'rocket cam' ride to space with epic liftoff and Earth views
Added 36 Views / 0 LikesThe United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket launched on Jan. 8, 2024. See the epic views captured by cameras mounted on the rocket. Full Story: https://www.space.com/ula-vulcan-centaur-first-launch-peregrine-celestis-moon-missionCredit: ULA
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04:49
Take an Atlas V 'rocket cam' ride to space with Amazon's Project Kuiper satellites
Added 62 Views / 0 LikesA United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launched two prototype satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband constellation from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Oct. 6, 2023. See rocket camera footage of the launch here. Credit: ULA
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04:13
Take an on-orbit tour of Russia's Nauka module with an ESA astronaut
Added 180 Views / 0 LikesESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet gives a tour of the newly arrived Nauka module aboard the International Space Station.Credit: ESA
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10:35
Take the WTF Weird Storm Watch up one BIG Notch! Gulf & East Coast
Added 553 Views / 0 LikesTake the WTF Weird Storm Watch up one BIG Notch! Gulf & East Coast
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07:07
Take the WTF Weird Weather Watch up a Notch: Volcano & drunk Azores High
Added 343 Views / 0 LikesWe've got Eruptions at Italy's Mount Etna & Mexico''s Popocatepetl Volcanoes today & an Azores High that is freaking out. Which is a good thing. For now. But if that ends, oh jeez.God bless everyone,TT LEWISON5430 BIRDWOOD RD. #416HOUSTON TEXAS 77096HTTPS
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05:25
Talking 'Resident Alien' With Alan Tudyk
Added 210 Views / 0 LikesSpace.com's Chelsea Gohd sits down with sci-fi star, Alan Tudyk, to discuss his new show 'Resident Alien', which premiers on SyFy Jan. 27th 10/9c. -- 'Resident Alien' on Syfy reinvents the classic 'alien-crash-lands-on Earth'-tale: https://www.space.com/r
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05:32
Talking 'Star Trek: Discovery' with Sonequa Martin-Green & Michelle Paradise
Added 177 Views / 0 LikesSonequa Martin-Green ("Capt. Michael Burnham") and showrunner Michelle Paradise talk Star Trek: Discovery ahead of the season 4 debut on Paramount+.
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02:39
Talking Blazars With Astrophysicist Joe Pesce
Added 165 Views / 0 LikesWhat are Blazars and why is astrophysicist Joe Pesce so fond of them? Join the Space.com Community: https://forums.space.com
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02:08
Talking Dangers of AI - Alien: Covenant’s Ridley Scott and Michael Fassbender
Added 465 Views / 0 LikesTalking Dangers of AI - Alien: Covenant’s Ridley Scott and Michael Fassbender
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23:08
Talking Inspiration4 with Jared Isaacman - 1st all-private orbital mission
Added 140 Views / 0 LikesShift4 Payment's CEO Jared Isaacman has charted a SpaceX Crew Dragon for the first all-private orbital mission. Isaacman talks to Space.com's Tariq Malik about it in this exclusive interview. Credit: Space.com
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12:56
Talking Inspiration4 with Sian Proctor & Jared Isaacman
Added 118 Views / 0 LikesInspiration4 astronauts Sian Proctor and Jared Isaacman talk about the mission with Space.com's Chelsea Gohd. Credit: Space.com
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29:25
Talking Inspiration4 with Sian Proctor - 1st all-civilian orbital mission
Added 112 Views / 0 LikesGeoscientist Sian Proctor will fly on SpaceX's Crew Dragon for the first all-civilian orbital mission, called Inspiration4. She speaks with Space.com's Chelsea Gohd about the historic flight.Credit: Space.com
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11:11
Talking James Webb Space Telescope's first year with a NASA astrophysicist - exclusive interview
Added 64 Views / 0 LikesNASA astrophysicist Dr. Taylor Hutchison talks with Space.com contributor Robert Lea about James Webb Space Telescope first year of science. Credit: Space.com | NASA Goddard | JWST imagery: NASA, ESA, CSA, JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA, DSS2, N. Bar
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09:55
Talking SpaceX Crew-3 with NASA Launch Integration Manager Daniel Forrestel
Added 97 Views / 0 LikesNASA Launch Integration Manager Daniel Forrestel talks to Space.com's Chelsea Gohd about the SpaceX Crew-3 mission.