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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01:16
Greenland's 'Grand Canyon' Revealed By Ice-Penetrating Radar | Video
Added 842 Views / 0 LikesA 460-mile-long stretch of canyon was discovered underneath Greenland's ice sheet by NASA's Operation IceBridge. It runs from the center of the island to the fjord of the Petermann Glacier.
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01:19
Aurora from Above: Space Station Crew Sees Southern Lights
Added 769 Views / 0 LikesBeautiful video of the Aurora Australis, captured by ISS crew-members passing over eastern Australia on September 11, 2011. Geomagnetic storms induced by solar flares produce these intricate natural light shows.
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07:00
Hurricane Irene - Latest Space Station View
Added 676 Views / 0 LikesThe International Space Station once again flew over the now Category 3 storm and its outlook seems even more ominous. This fly-over occurred on August 24th, 2011.
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00:44
Historic Blizzard Seen From Space | Time-Lapse Video
Added 806 Views / 0 LikesNOAA's GOES-13 satellite snapped imagery of the two low pressure systems joining forces to slam the Northeast United States with heavy winds and snow. Observations were made between Feb. 7th and Feb. 9th, 2013.
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00:38
Weird 'Sounds' Picked Up By Space Probes In Earth's Magnetosphere | Video
Added 776 Views / 0 LikesEnergetic particles in the magnetosphere emit radio waves that are audible to humans. The NASA Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission's (RBSP) instrumentation captured an instance of the event. The 'chorus' phenomenon is well known by scientists.
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00:29
Terrifying Joplin Supercell Tornado Seen from Space
Added 733 Views / 0 LikesNOAA's GOES (geostationary satellite) watched this horrific storm develop over Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas state lines on May 22, 2011 between the hours of 12:44pm to 7:15pm CDT.
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01:32
Lego Man Flies To The Edge Of Space
Added 797 Views / 0 LikesA pair of 17-year-olds from Canada, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, attached a styrofoam box with a Lego man, 4 cameras and a GPS equipped phone to a weather balloon. It nearly 80,000 feet before the balloon popped.
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01:12
Swirling Auroras Over Swedish Mountains Seen For 2 Weeks | Video
Added 750 Views / 0 LikesChad Blakley (lightsoverlapland.com) captured stunning imagery of the Northern Lights on February 18th, 2013. Powerful Auroras have filled the skies above Abisko National Park for 13 straight nights. This time-lapse shows the auroras on Day 13.
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05:53
'Virtual Real-Time' Auroras Over Sweden In Amazing New Video
Added 776 Views / 0 LikesPhotographer Chad Blakley (http://lightoverlapland.com) and video editor Tom Malkowicz (http://vimeo.com/channels/thomas) have outdone themselves in a compilation of Northern Lights from 2012 and 2013. Some of the sequences were reproduced to deliver a ne
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07:53
Stunning Stargazing In Yosemite National Park | Video
Added 876 Views / 0 LikesFar away from light pollution and high up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Yosemite National Park's stunning views of the night sky and majestic natural wonders attract astronomers, photographers and city dwellers from around the country.
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00:34
Above the Aurora: An Amazing Space Fly-Over
Added 771 Views / 0 LikesThis glorious series of images was captured by the Space Station's Expedition 29 crew on September 17, 2011 while cruising over the Indian Ocean near Australia and south of Madagascar.
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05:57
Hurricane Sandy Seen From Space | Video
Added 682 Views / 0 LikesThe hurricane that is threatening the east coast of the United States was seen by the crew aboard the International Space Station. Meteorologists are worried this storm and a winter storm coming from the west will form a devastating "Frankenstorm".
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01:44
Bright Auroras Shine Through Clouds Over Sweden | Video
Added 885 Views / 0 LikesAurora photographer Chad Blakley (www.lightsoverlapland.com) shot this time lapse of an aurora shimmering through the clouds over Abisko National Park in Sweden on the night of January 13th.
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04:10
Temporal Distortion of Earth's Skies: Stunning Time-Lapse
Added 945 Views / 0 LikesThis mind-bending look at our day and night sky -- including some auroras -- was cut together by Randy Halverson (Dakotalapse.com). The score was composed by Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, Eureka, etc.).
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03:12
Supersonic Skydive From Edge of Space - Animated
Added 763 Views / 0 LikesFelix Baumgartner hopes to become the first human to break the speed of sound in a freefall. He intends to jump out of a balloon hoisted capsule at 120,000 feet. On July 25th, he completed his final test jump from 96,640 feet.
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04:09
Remarkable Time-lapse of Pacific Northwest Land and Skies | Video
Added 772 Views / 0 LikesPhotographer John Eklund captured over 260,000 images to create this stunning video of the majestic landscapes in and magnificent skies above the pacific northwest of the United States.
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01:40
NASA's Morpheus Lander 'Free Ride' for 74 Seconds | Video
Added 796 Views / 0 LikesA prototype for future planetary landers, this vertical takeoff and landing craft flew 160 feet higher (467ft) than its last flight; also forward 637 feet, testing NASA's Automated Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT).
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02:27
SpaceShipTwo's 3rd Powered Flight Soars To New Heights | Video
Added 795 Views / 0 LikesVirgin Galactic successfully tested its vehicle again on January 10th, 2014 and reached 71,000 feet (21,641 meters) and a top speed of Mach 1.4. They are still on track to start commercial service later this year.
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02:00
SpaceX Wet-Drop Tests Human-Rated Crew Capsule At Sea | Video
Added 808 Views / 0 LikesThe Dragon test article successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in December. The parachute deployment system was evaluated as part of their Commercial Crew Integrated Capability agreement with NASA.
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02:46
How Non-Stop Communications With Satellites Is Achieved by NASA | Video
Added 735 Views / 0 LikesThe Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) network work in conjunction with ground stations to delivers non stop coverage to Earth satellites and the ISS.