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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09:14
SpaceX launches 20 Starlink satellites from foggy Vandenberg, nails landing
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 20 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept. 20, 2024. The booster landed on the Of Course I Still Love you droneship in the Pacific Ocean shortly after se
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01:20
ISS flies directly over massive Hurricane Helene in time-lapse
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesThe International Space Station flew directly over Hurricane Helene on Sept. 26, 2024. [Full Story](https://www.space.com/hurricane-helene-video-from-space-station-nasa-livestream)Major impacts from inland flooding is expected along the path of Helene wel
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01:16
Blastoff! China's Lijian-1 Y4 rocket launches 5 satellites
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesChina's Lijian-1 Y4 rocket launched five satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Sept. 25, 2024. "The satellites onboard the rocket are the CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences)-01 and CAS-02, the Jilin-1 SAR 01A, and the Yunyao-1 21 and 22," a
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09:19
NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 enters space station after docking
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexsandr Gorbunov completed ingress into the International Space Station a few hours after docking on Sept. 29, 2024. Credit: NASA
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01:33
How Do Astronauts Drink Coffee in Space?
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesSometimes coffee IS out of this world! Whether it’s sipping from the space cup or through a drink bag, learn how astronauts enjoy a cup of joe aboard the International Space Station.
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02:52
RED ALERT! Hurricane Sara to hit Florida in 8 days?!*
Added 82 Views / 0 Likesmaybe. def maybe.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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01:39
SpaceX launches Starlink batch to complete 1st direct-to-cell constellation
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 20 Starlink satellites from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on Dec. 4, 2024 at 10:05 p.m. EST (7:05 p.m. local California time; 0305 GMT on Dec. 5). Thirteen of the newly launched satellites are capable of beamin
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03:15
Meet NASA Astronaut Anne McClain, Crew-10 Commander
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesAnne McClain will serve as crew commander for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, making this her second trip to the International Space Station. A colonel in the U.S. Army, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Military Acad
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03:38
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Mission Overview
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission will carry NASA astronauts commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and mission specialist Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist Kirill Peskov
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09:13
Super Red Alert! Record Breaking Major Monster Eclipse Storm possible this weekend!
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesIt's the biggest 7 day warning area ever issue by the NWS.It's going to be a wild eclipse week, y'all.Buckle up.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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08:51
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites from California, nails landing
Added 82 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
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00:30
Pan: A peculiar proceeding
Added 81 Views / 0 LikesA pair of merging galaxies. The galaxy on the left has a single, large spiral arm curving out from the core and around to below it, with very visible glowing dust and gas. The right-hand galaxy has a bright core but only a bit of very faint material.More
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04:35
RED ALERT! BIG Texas Floods Next Week! Sinkhole City! Hurricanes Coming*! Avoid World War 3!
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01:07
Boeing Staliner flies over auroras while docked to space station in amazing time-lapse
Added 81 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Matthew Dominick captured an amazing view of the Boeing Starliner and auroras from the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: NASA | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https://twitter.com/stevespaleta)
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04:56
RED ALERT! Texas & Mexico Hurricane & Shark Attack Watch! & Erupting Volcanoes in MX & Italy!
Added 81 Views / 0 LikesHappy 4th of July, y'all.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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The Next 25 Years of Space Exploration: To the Moon, Mars, and Beyond
Added 81 Views / 0 LikesJoin Space.com as we celebrate our 25th anniversary by looking to the future of humanity's reach into the cosmos with the live virtual panel "The Next 25 Years of Space Exploration - To the Moon, Mars and Beyond" at 12 p.m. EDT on July 17 as we are joined
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02:06
NASA's Perseverance rover captures oddball rock on Mars
Added 81 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Perseverance rover has spotted an oddball rock in an ancient river channel on Mars. Deputy project scientist Katie Stack Morgan explains. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS
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05:54
RED ALERT! Landfalling Hurricane 1st Week of September!?* TX Rain! Brazil orders Twitter shutdown!
Added 81 Views / 0 Likesi hope you have a wonderful weekend, y'all.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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03:59
RED ALERT! 5.0 Magnitude Earthquake LA California & Hurricane Watch for Puerto Rico & Mars & Jupiter
Added 81 Views / 0 LikesI hope you are well.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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00:53
RED ALERT! Little Debbie is now a Tropical Storm & will have 36+ Hours to Intensify!
Added 81 Views / 0 Likessorry for the abrupt cut off,my haters/hackers are throwing a temper tantrumagain. lol.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews