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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08:58
Blastoff! SpaceX launches next-gen US spy satellites from California, nails landing
Added 41 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the NROL-153 mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 10, 2024 at 10:53 p.m. EST (7:53 p.m. local California time). Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-explora
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03:26
Space to Ground: In the Year 2025: Jan. 10, 2025
Added 47 Views / 0 LikesNASA has big plans for science, research, and exploration aboard the International Space Station in 2025. From spacewalks, to hydroponic and aeroponic plant growth techniques, there's a lot to look forward to in low Earth orbit. This November, we will cel
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10:11
All of Los Angeles just got an accidental Evacuation Warning & Texas & the South get Ice Snow Floods
Added 38 Views / 0 LikesThank you for being awesome.God bless everyone,Stay cool.T
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01:03
Palisades and Eaton fires in California seen from space in new time-lapse
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesPalisades and Eaton fires continue to rage in Southern California on Jan. 9, 2025. NOAA's GOES-18 satellite has captured footage of the wildfires from Jan 7-9. Credit: CSU/CIRA & NOAA | edited by Space.com's Steve Spaleta (https://x.com/stevespaleta/)
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08:26
WTF 2025 DAY 8. Hollywood evacuates & The South* is about to get hit with a floody snow ice storm.
Added 42 Views / 0 Likesthank you for being awesome.God bless everyone,T
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01:09
Blue Origin preps New Glenn rocket for first-ever launch
Added 42 Views / 0 LikesBlue Origin's New Glenn rocket is scheduled to launch for the first time no earlier than Jan.10, 2025. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: Blue Origin | edited by Steve Spaleta (https://x.com/stevespaleta/)
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Watch live! SpaceX to launch Starship megarocket on Flight 7 test mission
Added 37 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Starship will fly for the seventh time ever early next week, if all goes according to plan. SpaceX announced today (Jan. 8) that it's targeting Monday (Jan. 13) for Flight 7 of Starship, the 400-foot-tall (122 meters), fully reusable megarocket d
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02:30
James Webb Space Telescope amazing view of protostar explained by NASA
Added 38 Views / 0 LikesTravel to James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam and MIRI instrument views of protostar L1527. The protostar is about 100,000 years old. [Full Story](https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-cosmic-hourglass)Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterPa
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09:03
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 2nd Starlink batch of 2025, nails landing
Added 47 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 8, 2025 at 10:27 a.m. EST (1527 GMT).Credit: SpaceX
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01:30
How Do Astronauts Exercise in Space?
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesAstronauts aboard the International Space Station typically exercise for two hours each day. From running to cycling to weightlifting, learn how crew members complete fitness regimens in space and commit to staying healthy – even in microgravity.Credit: N
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01:04
Palisades fire rages in Southern California in stunning satellite time-lapse
Added 38 Views / 0 LikesNOAA's GOES-18 satellite captured footage of the Palisades wildfire in southern California. The time-lapsed imagery was captured on Jan. 7-8, 2025. The Eaton wildfire can also be seen in this view. Credit: CIRA/NOAA | edited by Space.com's Steve Spaleta (
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06:38
PINK ALERT! Wildfire TERROR in S. California! & BIG Texas & Southern ICE & Snow storm approacheth!
Added 38 Views / 0 Likesit's going to be a wild, wild weather week.buckle up & stay cool.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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01:13
Chinese astronauts test 'intelligent flight robot,' check on fruit flies
Added 37 Views / 0 LikesChinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station tested an "intelligent flight robot," checked on a fruit fly experiment and more. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: China Central Television (CCTV) | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https://www.instagram.
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06:00
7.1 Tibet EQ! Dangerous Windstorm for S. Cal! BIG Snow & ICE Storm TX+! & Nasty Nor'Easter?
Added 35 Views / 0 Likeswild weather ahead y'all.yeeha. 2025.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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09:03
Blastoff! SpaceX launches first Starlink batch of 2025, nails landing
Added 41 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 24 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 6, 2025 at 3:43 p.m ET (2043 GMT). It was the first Starlink satellite launch of 2025. The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth about eight minute
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01:14
China test fires rocket engines, including a new hydrogen-oxygen engine
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesThe Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology in China "conducted a test on four types of engines, including a new hydrogen-oxygen engine," according to China Central Television. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: China Central Television (CCTV) | edi
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01:13
3 years of Solar Orbiter imagery of the sun time-lapsed with flares sonified
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesThe Solar Orbiter's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument captured imagery of the sun over the last few years. The solar flares (blue circles) are shown using data from the spacecraft's Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) instrument. "T
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14:57
Texas Ice & Snowmaggedon Thursday & Nor'Easter from Hell Sunday? maybe. nasty Storm Blair now tho.
Added 39 Views / 0 Likeswe will see what happens.stay cool & have fun.May God bless everyone,loveThttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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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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09:14
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Thuraya 4 spacecraft in first mission of 2025, nails landing
Added 41 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Thuraya 4 spacecraft from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Jan. 3, 2024 at 8:27 p.m. EST (0127 GMT). The communications satellite was launched for Space42, a satellite and sp