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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00:52
Icy Parfait: Jupiter's Moon Ganymede Hides Layered Ocean | Animation
Added 649 Views / 0 LikesA new model of largest moon in our solar system (bigger than planet Mercury) suggests that at least one ocean is stacked between multiple layers of ice. More about Ganymede: http://goo.gl/S37qaH
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01:02
All Known Exoplanets of Single Stars - Largest to Smallest Orbits | Animation
Added 740 Views / 0 LikesA dive through data of 1774 planets in 1081 star systems. From planets whose orbits take hundreds or thousands of years, to those that take hours or days. Tom Hands (http://www.tomhands.com) created the animation. Original: http://goo.gl/1V0wgh
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03:39
Best Meteor Storm of 2014 Coming? 'Camelopardalids' | Video
Added 762 Views / 0 LikesOn May 24th, Earth will for the first time pass through a cloud of dust that comet 209P/LINEAR behind in the 1800's. Experts say it could rival the year's best Perseids shower, with up to 200 meteors per hour.
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02:31
Multiple Spacecraft Had 'Eyes' On Powerful Solar X-Flare | Video
Added 744 Views / 0 LikesNASA's SDO, IRIS and RHESSI spacecrafts, along with JAXA's Hinode had their imagers pointed at the sunspot that erupted with an x-class flare on March 29th, 2014. - Rippled Earth's Magnetic Field: http://goo.gl/Kb1JHa
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05:20
New Simulation Re-Spins the Cosmic Web More Accurately | Video
Added 565 Views / 0 LikesWith the Illustris Simulation, astrophysicists have accurately modeled the correct mix of spiral, elliptical and irregular galaxies to show how all elements more complex than hydrogen or helium got their start. Full Story: http://goo.gl/JGDUmF
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00:55
Country Music Star Kellie Pickler Touts NASA's SLS | Video
Added 727 Views / 0 LikesThe recording artist promoted the Orion capsule ands Space Launch Systems in this public service announcement.
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01:33
Flame Nebula Sets Fire To Star Cluster Theory | Video
Added 717 Views / 0 LikesSimple theory held that centers of nebulas, where gas and dust condense, are the birthplaces of star clusters. But data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, reveals that stars on the outskirts of this and other nebulas are actually the oldest.
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09:56
In Memoriam: Aerospace Pioneer Bill Dana, Hypersonic X-15 Pilot | Video
Added 627 Views / 0 LikesNASA research pilot and aeronautical engineer passed away on My 6th, 2014. In his 48 year career,he flew more than 8,000 hours in over 60 different aircraft. He received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1997.
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01:22
NFL Draft Message From Space | Video
Added 663 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronauts Steve Swanson and Rick Mastracchio kicked off the 2014 NFL draft with a message from the International Space Station.
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06:35
Free Time In Space? Astronaut Tweets Friends For Suggestions | Video Interview
Added 547 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Reid Wiseman reached out to his friends to find out what they would do in their down time aboard the International Space Station. Wiseman spoke to Space.com's Tariq Malik on May 9th, 2014 and is scheduled to launch to ISS on May 28th a
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00:53
'Square' Hole In Sun Blows High-Speed Solar Wind | Video
Added 722 Views / 0 LikesA square-shaped coronal hole has been imaged by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Open magnetic field lines cause these holes to form and gives high-speed streams of plasma a chance to escape the Sun pull.
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12:19
Congress: Not Taking Out 'Orbital' Trash = Economy In Jeopardy | Video
Added 707 Views / 0 LikesCongressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and others from the House Science, Space&Technology Subcommittee on Space conducted a hearing on how to prevent a real life 'Gravity'.
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05:43
Upgraded Space Shuttle 'Pumpkin-Suit' Tested For Asteroid Mission EVA | Video
Added 825 Views / 0 LikesNASA is testing a next generation Modified Advanced Crew Escape Suit (MACES), formerly ACES, for possible use on extravehicular activities. Astronauts Stan Love and Steve Bowen, tested the suits underwater in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.
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02:13
Loss of Antarctic Glacier is Irreversible, NASA Scientists Say | Animation
Added 811 Views / 0 LikesAfter 40 years of observation, NASA and University of California researchers agree that melting of the West Antarctic Glacier has passed the point of no return. It contains enough ice to raise sea levels ~4 feet, but could take centuries to melt.
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04:00
How to 'Joystick' Space Station's Robot Arm | Video
Added 698 Views / 0 LikesCanadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques explains how the Station's Canadarm2 captures spacecraft using a Canadian Space Agency simulator. ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen hosts.
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07:14
Rain Feels Wonderful To Recently Returned Astronaut | Video
Added 695 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Mike Hopkins talks to Space.com's Tariq Malik about adjusting back to life on the ground. Hopkins spent 166 days aboard the International Space Station.
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01:40
DARPA Proposes Folding Space Telescope Design | Animation
Added 759 Views / 0 LikesThe Membrane Optical Imager for Real-Time Exploitation (MOIRE) will use lightweight membrane optics instead of large-diameter glass mirrors. This design can reduce building and launch costs, putting more eyes in the sky.
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01:36
Bright 'St. Thomas' Fireball Captured By 9 All-Sky Cameras
Added 711 Views / 0 Likes7 Western University (Ontario) all-sky cameras and two operated by NASA recorded the fireball over the northern shore of Lake Erie on Mar. 18, 2013. Golf ball or softball-sized fragments may have reach the ground northwest of St. Thomas, Ontario. Read mor
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01:32
How Urine Is Turned Into Clean Water On Space Station | Video
Added 766 Views / 0 LikesOrbiting JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata explains how the International Space Station's water recovery system works.
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02:11
Astrobotic Tests Robots Under Different Gravity | Video
Added 690 Views / 0 LikesRobotic rovers drive differently when under the lower gravity of Mars or the moon. Astrobotic carefully tests its robots under these different gravitational forces.