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)
-
01:15
Massive Coronal Hole To Blast Earth With Solar Wind | Video
Added 759 Views / 0 LikesA large coronal hole has rotated its way into an Earth-affecting position. It is a dark region where the Sun's magnetic field is more open and emits high-speed solar wind. Auroras may be on tap for Earth as a result .
-
06:53
Space Station Malfunction: Fixes Discussed By NASA | Video
Added 696 Views / 0 LikesSpace Station Malfunction: Fixes Discussed By NASA | VideoISS Mission Operations Integration Manager Kenny Todd gives an update on the Space Station cooling issue that occurred aboard the International Space Station in Dec. 2013.
-
05:04
Variable Star Seen Pulsating By Hubble | Time-Lapse Video
Added 722 Views / 0 LikesVariable star RS Puppis was observed by the Space Telescope over a period of 5 weeks. These types of stars are unstable because they have consumed most of the hydrogen fuel. The pulsations seen are not moving gas, but light echoes.
-
03:24
Galaxy's Most Precise 3D Map: Gaia Probe Will Make It | Video
Added 605 Views / 0 LikesUsing a billion pixel camera and 2 telescopes, the European spacecraft will scan every star at least 70 times during a 5 year period. This will create the most comprehensive guide to the Milky Way to date.
-
02:18
Spacecraft's 'Rainbow Eyes' Looks Deep Into The Sun | Video
Added 719 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory views the Sun in multiple wavelengths, each one revealing a little more about its dynamics. The views are compiled to reveal how different parts of the Sun appear under each wavelength or 'color'.
-
01:25
Meteor Slams Moon, Creates 59-Foot-Wide Crater: Before and After Video
Added 750 Views / 0 LikesA 1.3 foot wide space rock, traveling at 56,000 MPH, collided with the lunar surface on March 17th, 2013, and the explosion could be seen with the naked eye on Earth. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped imagery of the impact area.
-
01:02
Fireball Burns Bright As The Moon Over Tennessee | Video
Added 710 Views / 0 LikesA piece of an asteroid likely from the asteroid belt burned up over Tennessee December 17th. The object was around 20 inches across and weighing approximately 400 lbs.
-
07:12
Space Station Malfunction: Spacewalk Repairs Explained By NASA | Video
Added 813 Views / 1 LikesLead U.S. Spacewalk Officer Allison Bolinger explains what the ISS astronauts will be doing over 3 spacewalks to repair cooling system. A pump module needs to be replaced.
-
04:49
Blast Off! Billion Star Mapping Mission Underway | Video
Added 729 Views / 0 LikesEuropean Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft launched from Kourou, French Guiana on Dec. 19, 2013 aboard a Russian Soyuz-Fregat rocket. The spacecraft will deliver the most comprehensive map of the Milky Way to date.
-
02:22
5 Most Watched Space Events Of 2013 | Video
Added 765 Views / 0 LikesSpace rocks and a Space rock star consumed much of the viewing this year. Find out which one took the top spot for 2013.
-
06:54
Historic 'Earthrise' Re-Created For 45th Apollo 8 Anniversary | Video
Added 752 Views / 0 LikesIn December 1968, the Apollo 8 crew became the first humans to experience an Earthrise from the lunar orbit. This visualization is based off of the actual photos and satellite imagery. Narrated by Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon. Read more her
-
03:28
Electric-Blue Clouds Glow Over Antarctica | Video
Added 687 Views / 0 LikesNoctilucent clouds, Earth's highest clouds, appeared over the South Pole earlier than usual this year. Water molecules mixed with meteor smoke at the edge of space, creates this phenomenon. Read more here: http://goo.gl/niUTrU Credit: NASA
-
08:02
Spacewalkers Remove Refrigerator-Sized Pump From Station | Video
Added 580 Views / 0 LikesA malfunctioning cooling pump was removed in the first of a multiple space walk repair mission for ISS astronauts. Astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins completed Spacewalk #1 on Dec. 21, 2013.
-
01:21
Mars Moon Phobos Fly-Around Created From Spacecraft Photos | Video
Added 835 Views / 0 LikesIn anticipation of the Mars Express' risky fly-by of the Martian Moon on Dec. 29, 2013 it (coming with 28 miles (45km) of the surface), the European Space Agency has compild imagery from previous fly-bys to create this highly detailed fly-around.
-
02:44
Iceland's Christmas Tree-Shaped Peninsula Pinged From Space | Video
Added 764 Views / 0 LikesThe Westfjords peninsula image was created by combining 3 radar acquisitions from the Envisat satellite. The grey are area is land and the colorful fjords (sea between the 'branches'). ESA's series 'Earth from Space' takes at look at it.
-
02:36
First HD Video To Moon And Back At 622 Megabits Per Second
Added 625 Views / 0 LikesThis message from NASA administrator Charles Bolden was sent to the moon and back with only a few seconds of delay. The Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration mission aboard NASA's LADEE spacecraft successfully received and retransmitted the video.
-
02:48
NASA's Deep Space Network: 50 years of Interplanetary WiFi | Video
Added 832 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Deep Space Network, the world's largest and most powerful communications system for spacecraft, turned 50 on Dec. 24, 2013, marking milestone for space exploration. See how the Deep Space Network has evolved.
-
03:17
Interstellar Space, Launches and More: NASA's 2013 Highlights Video
Added 760 Views / 0 LikesNew satellites, Voyager, SpaceX and more took center stage - take a look back at all the space agency accomplished in this highlight video.
-
00:53
European Spacecraft To Land On Comet In 2014 - Animation
Added 805 Views / 0 LikesESA's Rosetta spacecraft will deploy its Philae lander to land on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in Nov. 2014. Its expected to deliver for several weeks to several months, depending on how long it takes the solar cells to be covered in dust.
-
01:47
Holiday Season Spacewalks O-Plenty - ISS Update Video
Added 683 Views / 0 LikesIn the latest episode of 'Space To Ground, NASA's Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters talks about spacewalks to repair the stations cooling system and add Earth-observing cameras to the stations exterior. Also, how to spot the ISS in the night sky.