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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01:05
NASA astronaut Suni Williams sees orbital sunrise during spacewalk - Time-lapse
Added 34 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Suni Williams works outside the International Space Station on Jan. 16, 2025. Credit: NASA | edited by Space.com's Steve Spaleta
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01:17
SpaceX scrubs Starlink launch at T-11 seconds due to 'possible aircraft in airspace'
Added 34 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX scrubbed the launch of a new Starlink batch from California on Jan. 19, 2025. The launch was "held for a possible aircraft in the airspace" according to mission control. Credit: SpaceX
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00:30
Pan: NGC 1637
Added 33 Views / 0 LikesThe subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week is NGC 1637, a spiral galaxy located 38 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Eridanus.This image comes from an observing programme dedicated to studying star formation
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04:04
Space to Ground: Hailing Frequencies: Feb. 07, 2025
Added 33 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
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04:03
U.S. Spacewalk 92 Animation (Radio Frequency Group 2 5)
Added 33 Views / 0 LikesAn animation of U.S. spacewalk 92 scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23, when two NASA astronauts will exit the station’s Quest airlock to complete removal of a faulty electronics box, called a radio frequency group, from a communications antenna on the starboa
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00:58
SpaceX Starship Flight 7 #booster #catch @LoganSpaleta #music #launch #spaceflight #chopsticks
Added 33 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX launched the seventh test flight of the Starship megarocket from Starbase in Texas on Jan. 16, 2025. Starship's Super Heavy booster successfully separated, and returned to Earth and was caught by the "chopsticks" on the launch tower. Video features
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02:58
Space to Ground: Historic Spacewalk: Jan. 31, 2025
Added 33 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
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00:30
Pan: NGC 5643
Added 32 Views / 0 LikesToday’s NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week features the glorious spiral galaxy NGC 5643, which is located roughly 40 million light-years away in the constellation Lupus. NGC 5643 is what’s known as a grand design spiral, referring to how
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08:04
SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites - See Max Q to booster landing
Added 32 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites lifted from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 21, 2025 at 12:24 a.m. EST (0524 GMT).The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff as planned, touching d
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01:09
Asteroid 2024 YR4 safely flies by Earth in 2032 - ESA and NASA orbit animations
Added 32 Views / 0 LikesAsteroid 2024 YR4 is estimated to be about 196 feet (60 meters) wide and will have a close approach to Earth in 2032. Full Story: https://www.space.com/asteroid-2024yr4-odds-increase-no-concern)"The odds of the asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting Earth in 2032 ha
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08:54
Blastoff! Japan's H3 rocket launches Michibiki 6 navigation satellite
Added 32 Views / 0 LikesJapans's H3 rocket launched the Michibiki 6 navigation satellite from Tanegashima Space Center on Feb. 2, 2025 at 3:30 a.m. EST (0830 GMT; 5:30 p.m. local Japan time). Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/japan-h3-rocket
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Watch live! Blue Origin New Shepard launches to simulate moon gravity and more
Added 32 Views / 0 LikesBlue Origin is now targeting Tuesday (Feb. 4) for its first-ever moon-gravity mission. The company first tried to launch the NS-29 mission of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle on Jan. 28, but called off that try due to uncooperative weather and an issue
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02:49
Gravitational lensing inspires 'Twin Quasars' at the Whitney museum - Ashley Zelinskie explains
Added 31 Views / 0 LikesArtist Ashley Zelinskie takes you behind the scenes on how she created the three dimensional "Twin Quasars" artwork currently at on exhibit at the Whitney Museum's Virtual Landscape. Video created by Gabi Galvin (https://www.instagram.com/gabigalvin/)Full
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09:25
Blastoff! Rocket Lab launches 5 'Internet of Things' satellites from New Zealand
Added 31 Views / 0 LikesA Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched 5 Kinéis 'Internet of Things' satellites from New Zealand on Feb. 8. 2025. at 3:43 p.m. EST (2043 GMT; 9:43 a.m. Feb. 9 local New Zealand time).Credit: Rocket Lab
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11:39
BEWARE! Winter Storm Blair Witch is a B!tch! and ARE YOU READY FOR THE 1ST TEXAS SNOW DAY OF 2025?
Added 30 Views / 0 LikesYOU ARE FANTASTIC!thank you.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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09:01
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 131 rideshare satellites, nails landing in California
Added 30 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Transporter 12 mission carrying 131 different satellites to orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The rocket lifted off on Jan. 14, 2024 at 2:09 p.m. EST (1909 GMT; 11:09 a.m. local California time).The first stage
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Watch live! Blue Origin New Shepard launches to simulate moon gravity and more
Added 30 Views / 0 LikesNew Shepard is a rocket manufactured by Blue Origin for space tourism, however the newest mission will be simulating the Moon's gravity and flying 30 payloads to test lunar related technology. You can watch the action live here or at Space.com!
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09:07
Texas Tornadoes Wednesday & Thursday? BIG ICE STORM USA next weekend? DEEPSEEK ripple effects!
Added 30 Views / 0 LikesYou are fantastic!Stay cool.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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09:16
Blastoff! SpaceX launches next-gen SpainSat NG I satellite from Florida
Added 30 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the SpainSat Next Generation 1 (SpainSat NG-1), a communications satellite for the European Space Agency (ESA) and Hisdesat communications, from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 29, 2025 at 8:34 p
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08:58
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink batch with direct-to-cell capability, nails landing
Added 30 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 4, 2025 at 5:14 a.m. EDT (1014 GMT).The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth about eight