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)
-
08:57
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink batch from California, nails landing
Added 21 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 22 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California on Feb. 22, 2025 at 8:38 p.m. EST (5:38 p.m. local time or 0138 GMT Feb. 23).Credit: SpaceX
-
01:01
Sun blasts powerful X2.2-class flare! See NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory views
Added 21 Views / 0 LikesThe Sun unleashed an X2-class solar flare on Feb. 23, 2025. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the fireworks in multiple wavelengths. Footage courtesy: NASA / SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, helioviewer.org | edited by Space.com's [St
-
Watch live! SpaceX Starship to launch on ambitious 8th test flight
Added 21 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX is scheduled to launch Starship flight 8 from Starsbase in South Texas no earlier than Feb. 28, 2025. Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/spacex-targeting-feb-28-for-flight-8-of-starship-megarocket"The launch inc
-
Watch live! SpaceX to launch IM-2 moon mission atop Falcon 9 rocket
Added 21 Views / 0 LikesIntuitive Machines is poised to launch its second lunar lander in as many years, marking a significant milestone in commercial space exploration.The mission, known as IM-2, is set to lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center he
-
01:05
Debris from SpaceX Starship flight 8 explosion streaks across Bahamas night sky
Added 21 Views / 0 LikesStefanie Waldek captured footage of SpaceX Starship debris streaking across the night sky from the Bahamas on March 6, 2025. Read more: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/watch-fiery-spacex-starship-flight-8-debris-rain-down-over-
-
09:03
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Feb. 10, 2025 at 9:09 p.m. EST (6:09 p.m. local California time; 0209 GMT on Feb. 11). [Full Story](https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches
-
01:44
Boom Supersonic XB-1 breaks sound barrier 3X #xb1 #jet #aircraft #shorts
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesBoom Supersonic's XB-1 exceeded Mach 1, the speed of sound, three times during its final test flight on Feb. 10. 2025. The chief test pilot was Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg. Credit: Boom Supersonic
-
01:11
SpaceX Starship fired up for a minute in preparation for flight 8
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's flight 8 Starship was run through a long-duration static fire test at Starbase in south Texas on Feb. 12, 2025.New hardware was tested and six Raptor engines were cycled through multiple thrust levels, according to SpaceX.Credit: SpaceX
-
10:52
Another big Plane crash! False 9.0 Earthquake Signal! 5.3 TX EQ! Kentucky Trouble! & BIG FREEZE.
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesI hope you are staying awesome cool and calmwhile being happy.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
-
00:42
2024 Annual Highlights of Results from the International Space Station
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesNASA and its international partners have hosted research experiments and fostered collaboration aboard the International Space Station for over 25 years. More than 4,000 investigations have been conducted with over 4,400 research publications. In 2024 alo
-
09:23
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink batch, nails first landing off coast of The Bahamas
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink satellites from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Feb. 18, 2025 at 6:15 p.m. EST (2315 GMT).The rocket's first stage will came back to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff, landing on a drone
-
01:40
Thousands of black hole candidates 'uncovered' by Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesThe Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has revealed 300 new intermediate-mass black bole candidates and 2500 active black hole candidates in dwarf galaxies. Credit:Images and Videos: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Legacy Surveys/D. Lang (Perimeter
-
07:45
NASA's Artemis 2 crew launches to moon and back in mission animation
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Artemis 2 mission will launch humans to the moon for the first time since the Apollo missons. See an animation of the the flight. Credit: NASA
-
09:00
Demonstrating Rocket Fuel Transfer in Space
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesAstronauts Matthew Dominick and Don Pettit demonstrate how spacecraft can transfer rocket fuel, or propellant, in microgravity using water bottles, water, and a fizzy tablet. Despite advancements in technology, preserving cryogenic fuels in space for ex
-
02:17
How Gateway Will Support NASA’s Artemis Campaign and Pave the Way for Future Mars Missions
Added 20 Views / 0 Likes“We know how to live and work in low Earth orbit. Now, it’s time to go further.” Gateway, humanity’s first lunar space station, will advance science and exploration on and around the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign. Gateway will also help NASA and
-
08:03
Touchdown on moon! Blue Ghost makes history with successful lunar landing
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesFirefly's Blue Ghost lander aced its touchdown on the moon on March 2, 2025 and becomes the second private spacecraft ever to soft-land on the lunar surface. The lander hauled 10 science experiments to the lunar surface for NASA, which was understandably
-
01:05
See IM-2 'Athena' lander’s stunning views of the moon in time-lapses
Added 19 Views / 0 LikesThe Intuitive Machines IM-2 'Athena' lander has captured amazing views of the moon from lunar orbit. Credit: Space.com | footage: Intuitive Machines | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https://x.com/stevespaleta)Music: Brief Interlude by John Utah / courtesy of h
-
01:07
Webb Telescope sees Milky Way black hole blast 'constant stream' of flares
Added 19 Views / 0 LikesThe supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way is blasting 'constant stream' of flares, according to a new study by the Northwestern University that used James Webb Space Telescope observations. Full Story: https://www.space.com/jwst-milky-way
-
01:13
'Suspended on a sunbeam' Andy Frasco and the U.N. put on cosmic rock show in NYC
Added 19 Views / 0 LikesSee highlights of @AndyFrasco and the U.N. performing "Try Not to Die" and "Talk About it" (featuring @KarinaRykman on bass) at Irving Plaza in New York City on Feb. 28, 2025. Read Space.com's show review: https://www.space.com/entertainment/we-should-be-
-
03:47
Space to Ground: On the Station, On the Moon: March 07, 2025
Added 19 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