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
Impacting Asteroid Bennu with OSIRIS-REx delivered unexpected results
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesNASA's sample collection of Asteroid Bennu has surprised scientists. Find out what we learned by impacting the space rock. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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Starlink Mission Control Audio
Added 143 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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Starlink Mission
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is targeting Thursday, October 27 for a Falcon 9 launch of 53 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The instantaneous launch window is at 6:14 p.m. PT (01:14 UTC o
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02:09
Explore the Orion Nebula via multiple space-based observatories
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesSee the Orion Nebula through the eyes of the ESA's Herschel Space Telescope, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Orion Nebula: Facts about Earth’s nearest stellar nursery: https://www.space.com/orion-nebulaCredit
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09:29
SpaceX launches 114 satellites in first flight of 2023, booster lands in Florida
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Transporter-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan 3, 2023. The payloads consisted of 114 satellites, including EOS SAT-1 for EOSDA. The first stage of rocket touched down at Landing Zone 1 in Florid
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19:00
Starlink Mission
Added 143 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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02:24
Space to Ground: Wrapping Up: March 10, 2023
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #AskNASA to talk to us.Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:https://www.nasa.gov/iss-scien
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10:40
NASA fires up RS-25 engine for 600 seconds in Mississippi
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesNASA conducted a long duration hot-fire test of an RS-25 certification engine at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on March 21, 2023. The test ran for 600 seconds, 100 seconds more than needed for an actual Space Launch System rocket launch.Credit: NASA
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06:09
Wild weather in unstable* times during planetary parade week 2023.
Added 143 Views / 0 Likeshi.I hope you are well.T LEWISONhttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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01:45
See the Artemis 1 launch in stunning high-speed black & white footage
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesWatch the Space Launch System rocket's historic first launch in this high speed camera footage. The Artemis 1 mission blasted off from Florida on Nov. 16, 2023. [See NASA's coverage of the launch](https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-1-moon-mission-launch)C
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01:34
NASA's X-66A! 'Transonic Truss-braced Wing' aircraft tested in wind tunnels
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesNASA has begun testing next-generation 'Transonic Truss-braced Wing' aircraft in hopes of developing a more eco-friendly way to travel. Meet the X-66A: https://www.space.com/nasa-us-air-force-new-x-plane-x66a-namedCredit: NASA
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08:34
RED ALERT! A Hurricane is probably going to hit Florida in 117 hours.
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesPrayer warriors, get your game up!God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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01:59
Virgin Galactic Unity soars to suborbital space with original customers! See the highlights
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesSome of the first Virgin Galactic customers finally made their way to suborbital space aboard VSS Unity on Sept. 8, 2023. Aboard were Galactic 03 crew Ken Baxter, Tim Nash and Adrian Reynard. Full Story: https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-third-commerc
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10:45
Blastoff! China launches Shenzhou 17 crew to Tiangong space station
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesA Long March 2F rocket launched Shenzhou 17 taikonauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin to the Tiangong space station from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Oct. 26, 2023. Full Story: https://www.space.com/china-launches-shenzhou-17-crew-t
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04:08
Inside Virgin Galactic's 5th commercial crew flight - Watch and hear the highlights
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesVirgin Galactic's Galactic 05 mission carried two research scientists, Dr. Alan Stern and Kellie Gerardi and private passenger Ketty Maisonrouge, along with VSS Unity's crew, to suborbital space. Full Story: https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-05-missio
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02:28
See Mars Helicopter fly from Perseverance and Ingenuity cams
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesThe Ingenuity helicopter on Mars flew for the 59th time on Sept. 16, 2023. See views of the flight from the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity cameras. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechMusic: Quest for the Skies by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen / courtesy of http://www.
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00:58
Interstellar Technologies ‘ZERO’ rocket engine fired up in test
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesInterstellar Technologies ZERO rocket engine was recently test-fired at Hokkaido Spacepor in Taiki, Hokkaido. It is fueled by liquid biomethane. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: Interstellar Technologies | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https://twitter.co
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02:47
Solar wind 'stopped blowing' on Mars for 2 days in 2022
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesFor two days in the December the solar wind suddenly stop on Mars and its atmosphere on the sun-facing side swellled "by nearly four times its usual size — from its usual 497 miles (800 km) to over 1,864 miles (3,000 km)," according to Space.com. Full Sto
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10:49
China launches Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft to Tiangong space station
Added 143 Views / 0 LikesA Chinese Long March 7 rocket launched the Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft to the Tiangong space station from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Jan. 17, 2023. Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)