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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04:32
STS 123 Rewind - Dextre On-Orbit Assembly
Added 535 Views / 0 LikesSpacewalkers struggle to awaken the monstrous space station robot. Credit:NASA/Space.com
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02:36
New Sentinel-1A Satellite's On-Orbit Separation - Crisp Video Footage
Added 607 Views / 0 LikesESA's Sentinel-1 was launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on April 3rd, 2014 (see it here) Cameras aboard the Soyuz Fregat upper stage captured its delivery into a Sun-synchronou
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04:33
New Sentinel-1A Satellite Launches Aboard Soyuz Fregat | Video
Added 647 Views / 0 LikesESA's Sentinel-1 was launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on April 3rd, 2014 (superb footage of its on-orbit separation). The satellite will be able to scans Earths surface in all weather conditions, day or night.
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03:29
Lyrid Meteor Shower, Mars and More - Where To Look In April 2014 | Video
Added 738 Views / 0 LikesThe meteor shower peaks on April 22nd and 23rd. Mars is at opposition this month and there will be a total lunar eclipse. (Skywatching Guide - Click Here)
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01:11
Solar Flare Launches Super-Heated Plasma Into Space | Video
Added 681 Views / 0 LikesAn M6-class flare erupted from a sunspot on the Sun on April 2nd, 2014 and was observed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The bright magnetic burst is seen in two wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light: 304 Angstroms and 171 Angstroms.
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03:51
Twin Study in Space - One Up, One Down for Bio-Science | Video
Added 773 Views / 0 LikesNASA explains the biological experiments that will be performed on astronaut Scott Kelly during his year on Space Station and identical twin Mark (Space Shuttle Cdr. - Endeavour's Final Flight - See The
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03:22
Lunar Eclipse Will Drain Moon Orbiter's Batteries | Video
Added 816 Views / 0 LikesThe Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is solar powered and it will be in darkness for an extended period during lunar eclipses, when the moon passes into Earth’s shadow (LRO Snaps Apollo Landing Sites)
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01:29
Strange 'Light' On Mars Snapped by Curiosity Rover | Video
Added 750 Views / 0 LikesThe Mars Science Laboratory photographed what appears to be a beam of light emanating from the surface of the Red Planet on April 3rd, 2014. NASA has yet to make an announcement on what it may be.
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01:14
NASA Hackathon - Space Apps 2014 | Video
Added 614 Views / 0 LikesSpringing up at more than 100 locations, NASA's 2014 maker/hacker event attracts creative tech-heads from all walks of life. It's a party, a design-build session, and a community outreach to bring new original thinking to space challenges.
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02:52
Diamond Ring in the Sky is a Beautiful Illusion | Video
Added 698 Views / 0 LikesShine bright like a diamond: A chance alignment of a blue planetary nebula, a vivid foreground star, and the ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile produces an apparition like an engagement ring.
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03:43
Blast-Off! Express Delivery To Space Station En-Route | Video
Added 702 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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07:39
How To See Spacetime Stretch - LIGO | Video
Added 692 Views / 0 LikesWhen two stars collide or a massive star blows up the fabric of the universe warps and springs back, sending gravitational waves across the cosmos. The wave motion would be very tiny. But to watch it, scientists must build very large instruments.
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02:35
'Express Delivery' Cargo Ship Docks To Space Station | Video
Added 744 Views / 0 LikesThe ISS Progress 55 resupply craft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 9th, 2014 and docked nearly 6 hours later. There are 3 tons of food, fuel and gear onboard. See the launch: http://goo.gl/DlSAEH
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02:59
Mars Descent Parachute Rips In Rocket Sled Test | Video
Added 784 Views / 0 LikesA supersonic parachute was tested by NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project. A rocket-fired sled and pulley system pulled a one kilometer rope with the parachute attached. - Curiosity's 7 Minutes of Terror: http://goo.gl/BAb8qa
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01:18
Supernova Shock Wave Blows-Away Huge Clumps of Cosmic Clutter | Video
Added 627 Views / 0 LikesA supernova remnant called G352.7-0.1 has swept away about 45X the Sun's mass worth of material during its expansion. Researchers believe that it interacted with a massive amount of dense material. -- X-Ray Universe Videos: http://goo.gl/zciTL
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01:06
'Gushing' Hot Plasma Erupts From Sun | Video
Added 788 Views / 0 LikesA solar flare erupted from an active region on the Sun on April 4th, 2014. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught a close-up view of the turning and shifting plasma.
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00:29
SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Sports Re-Usable Tech | Pre-Launch Time-Lapse Video
Added 792 Views / 0 LikesThe Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule bound for the Space Station, was lifted into its vertical position at its Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch pad. Read more about re-usable tech: http://goo.gl/QUc4zC
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01:41
Why The Moon Is Red During A Total Lunar Eclipse | Video
Added 760 Views / 0 LikesNASA planetary scientist Dr.Shawn Domagal-Goldman explains why this phenomenon occurs and also why Earth will experience a tetrad or 4 lunar eclipses in nearly 18 months. Total Lunar Eclipse Skywatching Guide: http://goo.gl/TjZIzU
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02:03
Pluto's Planetary Identity Still In Question | Video
Added 710 Views / 0 LikesMany attendees of the Pluto Science Conference in July 2013 referenced it as a planet. NASA's New Horizon mission, that will deliver the first reconnaissance of Pluto in 2015, will help resolve the long debate.
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01:00
Moon Turns Blood Red - Lunar Eclipse Time-Lapse Video
Added 1,302 Views / 0 LikesGriffith Observatory in Los Angeles, CA captured this time lapse imagery of the 'Blood Moon' lunar eclipse, from moments before Earth completely blocked the Moon's view of the Sun until full totality when the moon is fully bathed in 'umbral shadow.' Video