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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Blackout WTF. Barry moves NE. Upcoming Earthquakes & Hurricane Watch!
Added 268 Views / 0 LikesYou are cool.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.facebook.me/thornewsu can mail me atT Lewison5430 Birdwood Rd. #416Houston, Texas 77096the crankywxguy bloghttp://www.stormhamster.com/entry2/e071519.htm
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Blast Off! Billion Star Mapping Mission Underway | Video
Added 689 Views / 0 LikesEuropean Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft launched from Kourou, French Guiana on Dec. 19, 2013 aboard a Russian Soyuz-Fregat rocket. The spacecraft will deliver the most comprehensive map of the Milky Way to date.
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Blast-Off! Cygnus Lauches On 2nd Space Station Cargo Run | Video
Added 738 Views / 0 LikesThe Orbital Sciences' rocket launched from NASA's Wallops in Virginia on January 9th, 2014. It is delivering supplies and experiments to the ISS.
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Added 517 Views / 0 LikesBlast-Off! Expedition 41/42 En Route To Space Station | VIdeo
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Blast-Off! Express Delivery To Space Station En-Route | Video
Added 677 Views / 0 LikesThe ISS Progress 55 resupply craft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 9th, 2014. The 3 tons of food, fuel and gear on board will reach the Station in about 6 hours. Read more: http://goo.gl/jIMJG1
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Blast-Off! Japan Launches Hayabusa2 Asteroid Mission | Video
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Blast-Off! Japan's HTV Cargo Craft Launches To ISS | Video
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Blast-Off! Latest Same-Day Cargo Mission En Route To ISS | Video
Added 649 Views / 0 LikesThe Progress 54 cargo craft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:23am and is set to arrive at 4:45pm. It is carrying 2.8 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the station crew.
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Blast-Off! MAVEN Launches To Mars | Video
Added 719 Views / 0 LikesNASA's next mission to the Red Planet is underway as an Atlas V rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Nov. 18th, 2013. The rocket carried NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft.
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Blast-Off! NASA Launches Next-Gen Communication Satellite | Video
Added 754 Views / 0 LikesThe Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-L) launched aboard an Atlas 5 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 23rd, 2013. It will join and upgrade NASA's network of satellites that makes non-stop communication with satellites and the ISS.
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Blast-Off! NASA Soil-Tracking Mission Launches From California | Video
Added 703 Views / 0 LikesBlast-Off! NASA Soil-Tracking Mission Launches From California | Video
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Blast-Off! Precipitation Satellite Launches From Japan | Video
Added 724 Views / 0 LikesThe NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory (GPM) was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, Japan on February 27th, 2014. The satellite will provide near real-time precipitation data.
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Blast-off! Record 104 Satellites Launched On Indian Rocket | Video
Added 580 Views / 0 LikesBlast-off! Record 104 Satellites Launched On Indian Rocket | Video
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Blast-Off! SpaceX CRS-5 Mission Launches To Space Station | Video
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