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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04:16
Space to Ground: Shift Change: March 21, 2025
Added 74 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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03:12
Could Rocket Lab pick up Mars samples from NASA's rover? Animation shows how
Added 70 Views / 0 LikesSee Rocket Lab's "proposed mission architecture" for a Mars sample return mission in this animation. Credit: Rocket Lab
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04:26
WTF? New Egyptian Pyramid Surprise!
Added 62 Views / 0 Likeswut.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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06:45
Euclid dark universe detector delivers 'spectacular new views of the Cosmos'
Added 125 Views / 0 LikesEuclid has spotted 26 million galaxies and more in new observations. Full Story: https://www.space.com/the-universe/euclid-space-telescopes-1st-results-reveal-a-goldmine-of-data-in-search-for-dark-matter-and-dark-energy-images-videoCredits: ESA/Euclid/Euc
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10:18
Blizzard Tornadoes & Wildfires USA today! Stop throwing firebombs at Teslas & be nice to Susu_jpg!
Added 97 Views / 0 Likesok.have a great day.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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01:01
Sun sets on Firefly's Blue Ghost moon lander in these amazing views
Added 89 Views / 0 LikesFirefly's Blue Ghost mission on the moon has ended. See footage sunset on the moon from multiple cameras on the lander. Credit: Firefly Aerospace
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08:04
Butch, Suni and rest of SpaceX Crew-9 mission exit Dragon spacecraft after splashdown
Added 67 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams and Nick Hague along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov splashed down off the coast of Florida aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon "Freedom" on March 18, 2025. They were assisted out of the spacecraft on the rec
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09:00
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink batch 2 hours before Crew-9's return to Earth
Added 64 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 18, 2025 at 3:57 p.m. ET. The first stage landed on a dronesh
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Watch live! NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 with Starliner astronauts return to Earth
Added 62 Views / 0 LikesButch Wilmore and Suni Williams are heading back to Earth after an unexpectedly long and eventful space mission, and you can watch their homecoming live.Wilmore, Williams, fellow NASA astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov departed the Inte
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08:58
NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 with Starliner astronauts undocks from space station for return trip
Added 55 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, and Nick Hague along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov undocked from the International Space Station on March 18, 2025 at 1:05 a.m. EDT. They will conduct a deorbit burn at 5:11 p.m. EDT (2111 GMT),
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03:16
Meet JAXA Astronaut Takuya Onishi, Crew-10 Mission Specialist
Added 93 Views / 0 LikesJAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi will serve as mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission. With 113 days in space, Crew-10 will mark Onishi’s second trip to the International Space Station. After being selected a
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03:38
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Mission Overview
Added 96 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission will carry NASA astronauts commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and mission specialist Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist Kirill Peskov
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03:15
Meet NASA Astronaut Anne McClain, Crew-10 Commander
Added 91 Views / 0 LikesAnne McClain will serve as crew commander for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, making this her second trip to the International Space Station. A colonel in the U.S. Army, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Military Acad
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03:22
Meet NASA Astronaut Nichole Ayers, Crew-10 Pilot
Added 77 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Nichole Ayers is the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission. This will be the first spaceflight for Ayers, who became a NASA astronaut in 2021. She is originally from Colorado Springs and Divide, Colorado. Ayers earned a bachelor’s degree i
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02:35
Meet Roscosmos Cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, Crew-10 Mission Specialist
Added 42 Views / 0 LikesKirill Peskov will serve as a mission specialist for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station, marking his first spaceflight. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, he earned a degree in Engineering from the Ulyanovsk Civil A
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01:04
Watch NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 dock with space station in this time-lapse
Added 40 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander; and Nichole Ayers, pilot; along with mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov docked to the In
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08:09
NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 enters space station after docking
Added 43 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander; and Nichole Ayers, pilot; along with mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov docked to the In
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09:26
Blastoff! Rocket Lab launches radar imaging satellite
Added 37 Views / 0 LikesA Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched the QPS-SAR-9 satellite for the Japan-based Earth-imaging company iQPS from New Zealand site on March 14, 2025 at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT and 1 p.m. local New Zealand time on March 15).Credit: Rocket Lab
