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)
-
02:05
Space Sparks Episode 14: First of its kind detection made in striking new Webb image
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesFor the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this stunning image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northe
-
01:18
Moon sample container removed from Chang'e-6 capsule by researchers
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesChinese researchers have removed the container that is carrying the samples of the far side of the moon from the Chang'e-6 capsule. Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)
-
01:14
India's prototype space plane autonomously lands in test
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesIndia's reusable launch vehicle (RSV) landed at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka after a successful free flight. Credit: ISRO
-
01:10
China's Shenzhou-18 crew preps for 2nd spacewalk, conducts experiments
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesAstronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu are preparing for a 2nd spacewalk aboard the Tiangong space station. They've also been conducting and maintaining combustion experiments. Full Story: https://www.space.com/china-shenzhou-18-astronauts-prepare-
-
05:11
Alert! Possible Pennsylvania Tornado Outbreak tomorrow! 1.8 Million Texans w o Power & Spectrum?!?
Added 85 Views / 0 Likeshi.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
-
02:58
Apollo 11 at 55: NASA chief Bill Nelson talks unity
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesNASA administrator commemorates the 55th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing with a message of unity. Credit: NASA
-
01:30
Zoom into interacting galaxies Arp 142
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesThis video takes the viewer on a journey through space to the interacting galaxies known as Arp 142.The distorted spiral galaxy at the centre, the Penguin, and the compact elliptical galaxy at the left, the Egg, are locked in an active embrace. A new near
-
01:52
Gobal carbon monoxide modeled in amazing NASA visualization
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesSee the scope of global carbon monoxide emissions in this visualization created by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Credit: NASA/GSFC
-
08:05
Blastoff! India launches Earth-observing satellite atop SSLV rocket
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesIndia's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) launched the EOS-08 satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Aug. 15, 2024 at 11:47 p.m. EDT (0347 GMT or 9:17 a.m. India Standard Time on Aug. 16). Full Story: https://www.space.com/india-eos-08-launch-ss
-
01:03
Watch an ESA Cluster mission satellite burn up on re-entry in this amazing animation
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesAn ESA Cluster mission satellite, known as Salsa, burned up after re-entering Earth's atmosphere on Sept. 8. 2024. See an animation of the fireworks here. Credit: ESA - European Space AgencyThis video includes third party content. It shall not be modified
-
Watch live! US-Russian crew enters space station after Soyuz docking
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesWatch NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner enter the International Space Station after the hatch is opened on Sept. 11, 2024. The trio launched and docked with the International Space Station hour prior.
-
09:06
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites from California, nails landing
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on September 12 at 6:45 p.m. PT. Credit: SpaceX
-
01:07
China's Yutu-2 rover snaps new images of moon's surface
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesThe Chang'e-4 mission's Yutu-2 rover is still active on the lunar surface. It capture new imagery on Sept. 10, 2024. The Chang'e-4 mission landed ont he moon in 2019. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: China Central Television (CCTV) | edited by [Steve
-
02:44
James Webb Space Telescope captures amazing view of galactic mashup
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope has captured imagery of interacting elliptical and spiral galaxies known as Arp 107.Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danielle Kirshenblat (STScI)
-
03:02
Space to Ground: Sunita in Charge: Sept. 20, 2024
Added 85 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
-
03:22
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Mission Overview
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission will carry NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to the International Space Station. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at NASA’s Kennedy Spac
-
Watch live! SpaceX to launch KoreaSat-6A satellite on booster's record-tying flight
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is set to tie its rocket-reuse record today (Nov. 11). A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch the KoreaSat-6A telecom satellite from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida today, during a four-hour window that opens at 12:07 p.m. EST (1607
-
08:28
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg, nails landing
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 20 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Nov. 14, 2024 at 12:23 a.m. EST (0323 GMT; 9:23 p.m. local California time on Nov. 13).The first stage of the rocket
-
01:01
See Saturn's rings tilt in amazing Hubble Space Telescope time-lapse
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesHubble Space Telescope imagery of Saturn, captured from 2018-2024, has been time-lapsed. Footage courtesy: NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), Michael H. Wong (University of California) | edited by Space.com's Steve Spaleta (https://www.instagram.com/spalet
-
08:51
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites from California, nails landing
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 27 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 26, 2025 at 6:11:40 p.m. ET (2211 GMT). Credit: SpaceX