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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Galactic Black Hole Eats Asteroids For Breakfast -- Really
Added 880 Views / 0 LikesX-Ray flares recorded by the Chandra Observatory suggest asteroids and comets are being violently torn apart by the super-massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
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00:49
Strong Solar Flare Spits Fire, Snapped By Spacecraft | Video
Added 879 Views / 0 LikesStrong Solar Flare Spits Fire, Snapped By Spacecraft | Video
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01:01
Over Earth: Comet Lovejoy Meets Milky Way
Added 879 Views / 0 LikesWhile flying over a stormy Africa, astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured stunning imagery of the Milky Way and the comet that lived.
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01:36
NASA's 9th Morpheus Lander -- Highest Flight Yet | Video
Added 879 Views / 0 LikesNASA JSC's prototype planetary lander made its fastest (~30 mph) and highest ascent (580 feet) on March 11, 2014. The flight lasted 83-seconds and it touched down on a landing pad 837 feet 'downrange' from the launchpad.
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06:31
Scientist claims there are 400 planets in our Solar System - part 1
Added 878 Views / 0 LikesScientist claims there are 400 planets in our Solar System - part 1
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01:03
Curiosity Rover's Descent Images Reach Earth | Video
Added 876 Views / 0 LikesThe Mars Science Laboratory's descent imager was hard at work upon its descent to the surface of the Red Planet. This is a stop-motion video of 297 thumbnail images that reached Earth on August 6th, 2012.
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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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02:26
Orion Constellation's Blazing Dust Band Holds Stellar Nurseries | Video
Added 875 Views / 0 LikesAstronomers using the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) in Chile have exposed light from cold interstellar dust grains that are invisible to the human eye. The bright object is the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), an region of active star formation.
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How To Wash Your Hands In Space | Video
Added 875 Views / 0 LikesISS Commander Chris Hadfield shows us the fine points of manual digital hygiene in microgravity. A clean-handed astronaut is a happy astronaut. -- Life in Space: Astronaut Chris Hadfield's Video Guide: http://goo.gl/fdgcgU
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02:44
How Do You Sleep In Space? | Video
Added 874 Views / 0 LikesISS commander Chris Hadfield shows how astronauts catch their Z's in Space. -- Life in Space: Astronaut Chris Hadfield's Video Guide: http://goo.gl/fdgcgU
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02:48
NASA's Deep Space Network: 50 years of Interplanetary WiFi | Video
Added 874 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.
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00:29
SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Sports Re-Usable Tech | Pre-Launch Time-Lapse Video
Added 874 Views / 0 LikesThe Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule bound for the Space Station, was lifted into its vertical position at its Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch pad. Read more about re-usable tech: http://goo.gl/QUc4zC
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Long-Haul Solar Plane Makes Maiden Voyage | Video
Added 873 Views / 0 LikesLong-Haul Solar Plane Makes Maiden Voyage | Video
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02:40
'Flying Saucer' Inflatable Mars Aerobrake -- How to Test It | Video
Added 872 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) system will lofted to 120,000 feet, via large scientific balloon. An attached rocket will propel the test article into a test trajectory.
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03:18
The Sun is causing strange NEW camera anomalies & a Sundiver comet
Added 872 Views / 0 LikesThe Sun is causing strange NEW camera anomalies & a Sundiver comet
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05:43
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Added 871 Views / 0 LikesNASA is testing a next generation Modified Advanced Crew Escape Suit (MACES), formerly ACES, for possible use on extravehicular activities. Astronauts Stan Love and Steve Bowen, tested the suits underwater in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab.
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Asteroid Impacts on Earth More Powerful than Nuclear Bomb | Video
Added 871 Views / 0 LikesBetween 2000 and 2013, 26 explosions ranging from 1-600 kilotons have been detected by the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization's network of sensors. -- FULL STORY: http://goo.gl/pKFcCq
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04:57
Cygnus and the Summer Triangle - August 2014 Constellation Skywatch | Video
Added 871 Views / 0 LikesCygnus and the Summer Triangle - August 2014 Constellation Skywatch | Video
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01:24
Massive Sunspot Blasts X3-Class Flare | Video
Added 871 Views / 0 LikesMassive Sunspot Blasts X3-Class Flare | Video
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01:20
Hubble's Andromeda Galaxy Image Shows Over 100 Million Stars | Video
Added 871 Views / 0 LikesHubble's Andromeda Galaxy Image Shows Over 100 Million Stars | Video