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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Starlink Mission
Added 158 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Saturday, December 17 for a Falcon 9 launch of 54 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 4:32 p.m. ET (21:32 UTC).The fir
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Starlink Mission
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Wednesday, December 28 at 4:40 a.m. ET (9:40 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 54 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, there is a backup o
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19:00
Starlink Mission
Added 144 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Thursday, January 19 for a Falcon 9 launch of 51 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The instantaneous launch window is at 7:43 a.m. PT (15:43 U
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Starlink Mission
Added 189 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Thursday, January 26 at 4:32 a.m. ET (9:32 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 56 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. There is an additional launch opportunity
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Starlink Mission
Added 162 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Tuesday, January 31 at 8:15 a.m. PT (16:15 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 49 Starlink satellites and D-Orbit’s ION SCV009 Eclectic Elena to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Cali
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19:10
Starlink Mission
Added 187 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Thursday, February 2 at 2:58 a.m. ET (7:58 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If needed, there are additional launch oppor
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Starlink Mission
Added 179 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Sunday, February 12 at 12:10 a.m. ET (5:10 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 55 satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, there are additional launch op
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19:56
Starlink Mission
Added 161 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Friday, February 17 at 11:12 a.m. PT (19:12 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 51 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. If needed, a backup opportunity
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Starlink Mission
Added 150 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Monday, February 27 at 11:31 a.m. PT (19:31 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 51 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. If needed, there is an addition
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Starlink Mission
Added 154 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Monday, February 27 at 6:13 p.m. ET for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 second-generation Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, a backup opport
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18:55
Starlink Mission
Added 150 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Friday, March 17 at 12:26 p.m. PT (19:26 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 52 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. If needed, there is an additional
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Starlink Mission
Added 144 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Friday, March 24 at 11:33 a.m. ET (15:33 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 56 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, there are additional la
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19:20
Starlink Mission
Added 135 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Wednesday, March 29 at 4:01 p.m. ET (20:01 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 56 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, there are additional
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18:56
Starlink Mission
Added 136 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Wednesday, April 19 at 10:31 a.m. ET (14:31 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 21 second-generation Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, th
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Starlink Mission
Added 175 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Thursday, April 27 at 6:40 a.m. PT (13:40 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 46 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The first stage booster supportin
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11:50
Starlink Mission
Added 167 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Wednesday, April 26 at 6:40 a.m. PT (13:40 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 46 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A backup opportunity is availabl
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Starlink Mission
Added 139 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Thursday, May 4 at 3:31 a.m. ET (07:31 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 56 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, there is an additional la
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18:40
Starlink Mission
Added 145 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Wednesday, May 10 at 1:09 p.m. PT (20:09 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 51 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. If needed a backup opportunity is
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19:16
Starlink Mission
Added 158 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Sunday, May 14 at 1:03 a.m. ET (05:03 UTC) for a Falcon 9 launch of 56 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. If needed, there are additional launc
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Starlink Mission
Added 147 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Tuesday, May 30 at 11:02 p.m. PT (06:02 UTC on May 31) for a Falcon 9 launch of 52 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. If needed, a backup oppor