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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01:11
Astronaut Encounters Actor: Sandra Bullock Talks With Cady Coleman | Video
Added 737 Views / 0 LikesAstronaut Cady Coleman's 180+ days in space put her in a perfect position to advise actor Sandra Bullock on her role in Gravity; from how to move to what to fear, plus some role model grooming tips: Hint: In space, no one can style your hair.
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03:40
CASSIOPE Satellite Will Observe Space Weather | Video
Added 763 Views / 0 LikesThe Canadian satellite carries two payloads. 1. ePOP: suite of instruments for research on the effects of phenomena such as solar storms in the upper polar atmosphere. 2. Cascade: will demonstrate a high-capacity digital courier system.
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01:02
Large Fireball Seen Streaking Over Ohio | Video
Added 769 Views / 0 LikesA meteoroid traveling at ~114,000 mph, slammed into Earth's atmosphere almost directly over Columbus, Ohio. It was visible from 14 U.S. States. NASA's all-sky camera in Hiram, Ohio captured the fireworks at 11:33pm EDT on Sept. 27th, 2013. (looped) Read m
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02:51
Cygnus Spacecraft Captured By Space Station | Video
Added 780 Views / 0 LikesThe Orbital Sciences' vehicle was captured by the International Space Station's robotic arm on September 29th, 2013.
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01:21
Sun Wakes Up - Spits a Powerful Prominence | Video
Added 780 Views / 0 LikesOn September 29th, 2013, the Earth's Sun roused itself from the unusual slumber of recent weeks with a massive filament eruption that was partially Earth-directed. NASA's SDO and SOHO spacecraft captured image data of the fireworks.
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03:25
Sandra Bullock Gives 'Gravity' A Human Heart | Video Interview
Added 763 Views / 0 Likes'Gravity's' star describes how making the space film changed her and altered her view of astronauts. Bullock discusses the physical and artistic demands of this role, and its story of tragedy and emotional survival, with SPACE.com's @DavidSkyBrody. Read m
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03:58
Plastic Moon: Propylene Detected On Titan | Video
Added 561 Views / 0 LikesThe main ingredient in industrial plastic number 5, has been detected in the atmosphere of the Saturn moon. The propylene molecule was missing in Voyager 1's probe of the moon in 1980, and had baffled scientists until now.
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04:36
SpaceX Falcon 9 From Vandenberg AFB Near Perfect | Video
Added 570 Views / 0 LikesLaunch team comments on their first West Coast SpaceX Falcon 9, which lifted the Cascade Smallsat&Ionospheric Polar Explorer [CASSIOPE] from Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex-4 in a crucial test of vehicle and military crew.
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01:22
ALMA Observatory Receives Final Antenna | Video
Added 678 Views / 0 LikesThe Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) consists of 66 antennas and is located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. North America and Asia each provided 25 and East Asia gave 16. They will helps answer cosmic origin questions.
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03:32
Making Gravity: How Filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón Created 'Weightlessness' | Video
Added 703 Views / 0 LikesTo shoot his "love song to space," director/co-writer Cuarón and his team had to invent new cinema technologies, while exploring the deep metaphors around humans in orbit. He spoke with SPACE.com's @DavidSkyBrody about microgravity movie making. Read more
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04:48
Inner Earth Beauty Unveiled During Astronauts' Cave Training | Video
Added 744 Views / 0 LikesDuring the CAVES 2013 mission, astronauts from NASA, ESA and CSA spent two weeks in the dark, cold and serene interior of the Sa Grutta cave in a Supramonte mountain in Sardinia to simulate Mars-like exploration.
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09:37
Communicating With Deep Space - How It Works | Video
Added 715 Views / 0 LikesESA employs 130 ton satellite dishes, dispersed in key areas all over the world to monitor the skies for transmissions. They boost faint signals from spacecraft and in reverse create high energy transmissions to relay commands. Credit: ESA
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03:34
'Gravity's' Astronaut Advisors: Fears and Family Ties In Space | Video
Added 711 Views / 0 LikesWhich do astronauts dread more: Death in orbit? Or breaking something unique and expensive? ISS astronaut Cady Coleman and "Hubble Repairman" Mike Massimino open up to SPACE.com's @DavidSkyBrody of personal worries and human relations in space.
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02:50
'Gravity' Evocative of Astronaut's Real Space Experience | Video
Added 732 Views / 0 LikesSPOILER ALERT - Fmr. NASA astronaut Tom Jones talks about how similar some of the aspects of the movie are to the real thing. Recorded at Popular Mechanic's screening of the movie on October 3rd, 2013. (Many key elements of the movie are discussed) -- Mor
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03:03
Thousands Flock To ESA Space Center's Open House | Video
Added 686 Views / 0 LikesThe European Space Research And Technology Centre (ESTEC), hosted its 2013 Open Day on Oct. 6th, 2013 in Noordwijk, Netherlands. Over 8,500 people attended and had a chance to meet astronauts, see its technical labs highlights, fly drones and more. Credit
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00:45
Students Test Fire 3D Printed Rocket Engine | Video
Added 769 Views / 0 LikesUC San Diego became the first university to design, print and test an 'additively-manufactured 'rocket engine. It was printed from Cobalt Chromium. The students were part of UCSD's chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) Cr
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01:28
October's Orionid Meteors and Lunar Eclipse - Where to Look | Video
Added 749 Views / 0 LikesThe meteor shower (Halley's Comet remnants) peaks from October 20 to 23 and the penumbral Lunar eclipse occurs on Oct 18th. Find out how and where you can view them.
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01:09
'Non-Furloughed' NASA Spacecrafts See Sun Hurl Giant Prominence | Video
Added 757 Views / 0 LikesNASA's SDO and SOHO websites continue to be automatically updated during the government shutdown (with a disclaimer stating the data may not be up to date.) The two spacecraft delivered imagery of the eruption that occurred on Oct 8th, 2013.
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02:36
Earth's Gravity to Slingshot Jupiter-Bound Juno Spacecraft | Video
Added 815 Views / 0 LikesThe NASA probe, that will study how the Gas Giant formed, will use a gravity-assist from Earth on October 9th, 2013 to gain the necessary momentum to reach its destination.
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00:40
Auroras Dance Over Norway Fishing Village | Video
Added 843 Views / 0 LikesNorthern lights were on display over a small village on the archipelago of Lofoten in northern Norway. Photographer Chad Blakley http://lightsoverlapland.com was on hand to snap footage. (looped)