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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08:59
SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites and nails landing on 80th orbital mission of 2023
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink satellites from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:05 a.m EST (0505 GMT) on Nov. 8, 2023. [Full Story](https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-launch-group-6-27)The Falcon 9's first stage came ba
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00:35
25 Years of the International Space Station
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesLow-Earth Orbit has been home to the International Space Station for 25 years. Hear from the people helping make history daily with the laboratory and from some of those who made it possible from the start!
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01:05
China launches MISRSAT-2 satellite for Egypt, rocket sheds tiles
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesChina Long March 2C rocket launched the MISRSAT-2 satellite for Egypt and a pair of Starpool 02 remote sensing satellites on Dec. 4, 2023 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The rocket sheds insulation tiles during launch, a normal occurrence.Credit
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04:11
ISS@25: What We Learn
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesWe’re celebrating 25 years of International Space Station operations! The International Space Station advances scientific knowledge in Earth, space, physical, and biological sciences, for the benefits of people living on our home planet. Through this glob
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02:33
Cómo correr en microgravedad (How to Run in Microgravity- Spanish)
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesDurante las misiones espaciales, en especial aquellas de larga duración, hacer ejercicio ayuda a los astronautas a no perder masa ósea y muscular. El astronauta de la NASA Frank Rubio muestra cómo usar la cinta corredera a bordo de la Estación Espacial In
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01:09
SpaceX fires up 'Flight 3' Starship again in preparation for launch
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX conducted a static fire test of their 'Flight 3' Starship on Dec. 30, 2023. It was the second test fire of the rocket. SpaceX also fired up their Super Heavy booster on the same day: https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-super-heavy-flight-3-engine
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Watch Live! Launch of Northrop Grumman's Cygnus Freighter to the ISS
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesA Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch Northrop Grumman's latest robotic Cygnus freighter Tuesday (Jan. 30) at 12:07 p.m. EST (1707 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The freighter is packed with more than 8,200 pounds (3,720 kilog
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01:10
X-59 supersonic plane! See awesome close-ups in first flight trailer
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesNASA is prepping the X-59 supersonic aircraft for its first flight. See some close-ups of the plane in this first flight trailer. Credit: NASA
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16:24
NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson Training Resource Reel
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson trains for her upcoming mission to the International Space Station. It will be her third trip to space overall, and her second long-duration mission to the International Space Station. Dyson will launch on the Roscosmos Soyuz
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Watch Live! SpaceX Crew-8 launch to the International Space Station
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA on the Crew-8 mission. Launch is scheduled for 10:35 p.m. ET on March 3, 2024. Crew-8 will launch NASA astronauts NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mich
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02:58
Meet NASA Astronaut Matthew Dominick, Crew-8 Commander
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Matthew Dominick is the commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. This will be the first spaceflight for Dominick, who became a NASA astronaut in 2017. He is from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineer
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Watch Live! Total Solar Eclipse 2024
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesOn Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will come to North America. Exactly six years, seven months and 18 days after the same type of solar eclipse crossed the U.S. from Oregon through South Carolina on August 21, 2017, this much longer event wil
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01:46
Astrolab's Lunar Terrain Vehicle! Next-gen moon roving
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesThe Venturi Astrolab Lunar Terrain Vehicle has been selected by NASA for use by Artemis astronauts. [Full Story](https://www.space.com/nasa-lunar-terrain-vehicle-artemis-moon-rover-contracts)Credit: Astrolab
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08:00
Blastoff! SpaceX launches new Starlink batch from Florida
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink satellites from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 17, 2024 at 5:26 p.m. EDT (2126 GMT). Full Story: https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-launch-group-6-51Credit: SpaceX
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00:49
The Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Suit
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesAt ~700 km above Earth, the EVA suit will support the Polaris Dawn crew in the vacuum of space during the first-ever commercial astronaut spacewalk. Evolved from the Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suit, the EVA suit provides greater mobility, a state-of-th
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00:30
Pan: IC 1954
Added 134 Views / 0 LikesThe spiral galaxy IC 1954, located 45 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Horologium, is the star of this Picture of the Week from the Hubble Space Telescope. It sports a glowing bar in its core, two main majestically winding spiral arms a
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00:15
Word Bank: Active Galactic Nucleus
Added 133 Views / 0 LikesMore information and download options: http://esahubble.org/videos/wordbank_active-galactic-nucleus/Credit:ESA/Hubble, NASA, ESA, J. Kriss (STScI) and J. de Plaa (SRON)
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02:41
Know Your Crew...Two!
Added 133 Views / 0 LikesShane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Aki Hoshide, and Thomas Pesquet are about to fly NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station. Before their launch, we brought them in the studio to test what they know about each other – and what they t
