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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00:32
On-Orbit Satellite Builds: DARPA Phoenix Project Animation
Added 724 Views / 0 LikesThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) multi-faceted project (satellite recycling, repair, construction) is looking to reduce the cost of geosynchronous orbit satellites, with 'Satlets'.
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00:42
Powerful X-Flare Erupts On Sun's Western Limb | Video
Added 723 Views / 0 LikesAn X1-class flare was recorded in multiple wavelengths by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 24th, 2014 EDT (April 25th at 0032 UT). -- Full Story: http://goo.gl/JsDiqF See Four Mammoth X-Flares: http://goo.gl/3Mq78D
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01:58
Prototype Lander Lands On Simulated Moon Terrain | Video
Added 726 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Morpheus lander logged a 98-second test flight on April 24th, 2014. As a test, Its Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) calculated navigation solutions in flight, but the landing data was pre-programmed.
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04:00
Close Saturn, Planets and 2 Meteor Showers | May 2014 Skywatching Video
Added 792 Views / 0 LikesSaturn is close and bright throughout 2014 but maybe best on May 10th 'opposition,' its moons visible with telescope. Mars shares the Eastern sky with the ringed gas giant. Skywatching Guide: http://goo.gl/uETMG9
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03:16
Skywatch May 2014 -- 3 Constellations Ripe with Galaxies | Video
Added 744 Views / 0 LikesStar-hop Virgo, Coma Berenices, and Canes Venatici to find the Whirlpool (M51), Sombrero (M104) and Black Eye (M64) galaxies. Find out how where to look in your night sky. Skywatching Guide: http://goo.gl/uETMG9
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00:30
7 State Tornado System Captured By Satellite | Time-Lapse Video
Added 712 Views / 0 LikesTornado touchdowns were reported in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on April 27-28, 2014. NOAA's GOES-East satellite captured this video of the region. -- Aeriel Drone Surveys Damage: http://goo.gl/eKZW8W
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01:05
Partial Solar Eclipse Snapped Over Australia | Time-Lapse Video
Added 708 Views / 0 LikesSlooh.com broadcast the eclipse live on April 29th, 2014. Clouds obscured some of the views. It was a total 'ring of fire' lunar eclipse over part of Antarctica. See Photos: http://goo.gl/990kII
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01:10
Solar Eclipse Seen 4X By Same Spacecraft | Video
Added 727 Views / 0 LikesESA's PROBA-2 sun observatory captured the eclipse on April 29th, 2014. Its sun-synchronous orbit allowed the spacecraft to see the eclipse (partial eclipse seen from Australia) 4X from different positions.
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04:03
Massive Solar Storm Near-Miss - Earth Averts Disaster | Video
Added 627 Views / 0 LikesIn July 2012, the NASA's Stereo-A spacecraft was impacted by the storm and its sensors revealed one of the most powerful solar storms in recorded history. Worst Solar Storms In History: http://goo.gl/RRJtMy
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05:11
NASA Dreams of Bootprints On Mars | Video
Added 591 Views / 0 LikesThe space agency outlines their goal to eventually land a human on the Red Planet. There is yet no specific plan or mission design.
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03:43
Telescopes to Tanzania -- a Pathway to Science | Video
Added 646 Views / 0 LikesChuck&Sue Ruehle, w/ Mponda Malozo, are engaging young learners in rural Tanzania to pursue science, math and geography by giving them direct personal access to the universe: http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/projects/telescopes-to-tanzania
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01:07
'Twisters' On The Sun Spotted By Spacecraft | Video
Added 652 Views / 0 LikesThe Solar Dynamics Observatory spotted "Sun tornadoes" spinning super-heated plasma off the surface and into Space. Magnetic forces pulled and stretched the plasma for a day (April 29-30, 2014) before sending it on a cosmic journey.
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00:48
SpaceX's Reusable 1st Stage Test -- Video Footage Badly Damaged
Added 642 Views / 0 LikesThe private space company launched its Dragon capsule on a NASA cargo delivery run to Space Station on April 18th. The Falcon 9's first stage deployed it's landing gear and touched the water with essentially no velocity. Launch: http://goo.gl/tqW
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00:57
Giant Exoplanet Rotates 36X Faster Than Earth - Orbits This Star
Added 719 Views / 0 LikesESO's Very Large Telescope 'zoomed into' the star Beta Pictoris, 63-light years from Earth, to measure an 8-hour day on the star's gas giant planet. Full Story: http://goo.gl/7VlzL5
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00:41
Probe Launched In 1978 Coming Close To Home - But We Can't Talk To It | Orbit Diagram
Added 695 Views / 0 LikesThe International Sun-Earth Explorer Cometary Explorer (ISEE-3 / ICE) -- launched in 1978 -- makes its closest approach to Earth in August 2014.
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03:21
Asymmetric Supernova Remnants May Mark Black Holes | Simulation
Added 701 Views / 0 LikesThrough simulations of twisting magnetic fields around collapsing cores of massive stars, Caltech astrophysicists study the previously puzzling appearance of certain double-lobed remnant nebulae. Such fields may contribute to black hole formation.
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01:52
Prototype Lander Flies High, Identifies Landing Target | Video
Added 717 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Morpheus lander logged another test flight on April 30th, 2014. Its Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) identified its primary landing site and targeted the location for landing.
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02:39
SpaceX Reusable Rocket Prototype Flies 4X Higher In Latest Test | Video
Added 774 Views / 0 LikesThe Falcon 9R rocket rose to a height of 3280 feet (1000 meters) in its latest test, posted on May 1st, 2014. The legs were in a fixed down position from launch to landing, but future tests will begin with them stowed.
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00:58
Space Rock To Zip Between Earth And Moon | Orbit Animation
Added 756 Views / 0 LikesAsteroid 2014 HL129 will fly nearly 187,000 miles away (.7 Lunar distance) from Earth on its closest approach on May 3rd, 2014. It is an estimated 32-feet-wide.
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02:43
New Meteor Shower Could Upgrade to 'Storm' | May 2014 Skywatching Video
Added 746 Views / 0 LikesEarth may pass through the dust trails of Comet 209P/LINEAR's past orbits, and predictions range from 100 to a 'stormy' 1000 meteors an hour. Also, great views of Saturn, Mars and comet PanStarrs (C/2012 K1) will be available throughout the month.