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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04:24
Space to Ground: The Power of 10: Feb. 28, 2025
Added 23 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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08:04
Day of Great Unhappiness! The BIG Nothing Burger is Released & NOAA & National Weather Service cuts!
Added 18 Views / 0 Likesplus, big storms coming.it is about to be eclipse season,y'all.Stay cool.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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04:02
5.5 Magnitude Texas Earthquake! BIG STORMS next Week! Solar Explosion! Oval Office Arguments!
Added 15 Views / 0 Likesi hope you have a wonderful weekend.Stay cool & have fun.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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09:01
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink batch on new Falcon 9 rocket, nails landing
Added 17 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites soared from Launch Complex-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 26, 2025 at 10:34 p.m. EST (0334 GMT)."The booster was a brand-new Falcon 9 stage — designated B1092 — maki
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05:00
SpaceX deploys IM-2 moon lander, NASA 'trailblazer' in amazing views from space
Added 11 Views / 0 LikesWatch SpaceX deploy the Intuitive Machines Nova-C "Athena" moon lander, NASA's Trailblazer orbiter and the CHIMERA GEO 1 spacecraft in this view from the Falcon 9 upper stage. Credit: SpaceX
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13:19
Blastoff! Russia launches Progress 91 cargo mission to space station
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesA Soyuz rocket carrying the Roscosmos Progress 91 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. on Feb. 27, 2025 at 4:24 p.m. EST, Thursday, Feb. 27 (2:24 a.m. Baikonur time, Friday, Feb. 28). Credit: NASA/Roscosmos
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01:06
James Webb Space Telescope captures stunning view of spiral galaxy NGC 2283
Added 13 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope has captured imagery of spiral galaxy NGC 2283, which is located about 45 million light-years away in the constellation Canis Major.Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy, N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb) | edited by Space.com
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01:25
IM-2 'Athena' moon lander captures stunning views of Earth and Falcon 9 upper stage
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesThe Intuitive Machines IM-2 Nova-C "Athena" moon lander captured views of the SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage and Earth post deployment. Credit: Intuitive Machines / SpaceX | edited by Space.com
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05:44
Buckle up for Wild, Weird & Stormy March 2025!
Added 23 Views / 0 LikesIt's about to get funky.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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01:35
Whoa! See Blue Ghost's amazing view of the moon from 62 miles up
Added 18 Views / 0 LikesFirefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander captured stunning views of the moon from about 62 miles (100 km) above the surface. The footage, sped up 10 times, was captured on Feb. 24, 2025 during its third orbital maneuver. Credit: Firefly Aerospace | edited by
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Watch live! SpaceX to launch IM-2 moon mission atop Falcon 9 rocket
Added 21 Views / 0 LikesIntuitive Machines is poised to launch its second lunar lander in as many years, marking a significant milestone in commercial space exploration.The mission, known as IM-2, is set to lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center he
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1:12:16
NASA Astronaut Mike Barratt’s Speech at the 2025 Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop
Added 17 Views / 0 LikesAt NASA’s 2025 Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop in Galveston, Texas, astronaut Mike Barratt discusses his International Space Station mission and the human health research he conducted in microgravity. The workshop celebrates and reports the
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Watch live! SpaceX Starship to launch on ambitious 8th test flight
Added 21 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is scheduled to launch Starship flight 8 from Starsbase in South Texas no earlier than Feb. 28, 2025. Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/spacex-targeting-feb-28-for-flight-8-of-starship-megarocket"The launch inc
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02:55
SpaceX drops Starship flight 7 launch highlights in anticipation for next flight
Added 24 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX launched Starship for 7th time on Jan. 16, 2025 from Starbase in south Texas. Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-catches-super-heavy-booster-on-starship-flight-7-test-but-loses-upper-stage-video-photosSpa
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09:00
Demonstrating Rocket Fuel Transfer in Space
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesAstronauts Matthew Dominick and Don Pettit demonstrate how spacecraft can transfer rocket fuel, or propellant, in microgravity using water bottles, water, and a fizzy tablet. Despite advancements in technology, preserving cryogenic fuels in space for ex
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01:01
Asteroid 2024 YR4 seen by Very Large Telecope -- Impact chances have dropped!
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesThe European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope observed asteroid 2024 YR4 in Jan. 2025. The probability of the asteroid impacting Earth in 2032 has dropped to .001%. Credit: Space.com | ESO/O. Hainaut et al. / ESA/Planetary Defence Office | edit
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02:55
Starship | Seventh Flight Test
Added 23 Views / 0 LikesThe first Starship flight test of 2025 flew with ambitious goals: seeking to repeat our previous success of launching and catching the world’s most powerful launch vehicle while putting a redesigned and upgraded Starship through a rigorous set of flight d
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01:47
SpaceX explains cause of Starship’s rapid unscheduled disassembly on flight 7
Added 25 Views / 0 LikesThe likely cause for the loss of the flight 7 Starship was a "harmonic response several times stronger in flight than had been seen during testing," according to SpaceX. Learn more about the anomaly and what is being done to correct it for flight 8.Credit
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Watch Live! Blue Origin's NS-30 Crewed Mission
Added 23 Views / 0 LikesMission NS-30 will be the 30th overall launch of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket-capsule combo. It will be the 10th crewed flight for the company, which was established in 2000 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.NS-30 will lift off from Blue Origin's West Texa
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01:09
Firefly's Blue Ghost lander captures amazing moon views after orbit maneuver
Added 26 Views / 0 LikesThe FIrefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander captured stunning views of the moon after its second lunar orbit maneuver. Credit: Firefly Aerospace | edited by Space.com's [Steve Spaleta](https://x.com/stevespaleta)