Space

All available evidence points to the fact that the Universe is open and it is ceaselessly expanding. Space means the whole universe, including the earth, while outer space refers to space other than the earth; outer space begins where the earth's atmosphere ends and extends in all directions.

Like, the air we breathe, space is everywhere and all around us. Most people describe space as the universe and do not distinguish between them. When the Universe was first talked of, as an orderly unit, it was called the cosmos, to distinguish it from chaos or disorder. The study of the cosmos was known as Cosmogony or Cosmology.

The popular references now are to space and space sciences. Space is a wholly natural phenomenon and cannot either be created or destroyed by mankind, while the space sciences are evolved by talented scientists, a part of mankind.

The observable universe has a diameter of 25 billion light years and the number of galaxies it contains is still uncertain. Theories of space also differ, and these are based on the flight of galaxies. Outer space is infinite; in fact it is so vast that the usual terrestrial units of measurement hardly suit its dimensions. The new units of measurement evolved by scientists are Light Years and the Astronomical Unit. It is well known that light and sound are the two principal media through which we gather our impressions of the external world.

The study of space and of outer space is, of course, not the common man's cup of tea, but the interests of mankind are deeply involved when space is put to certain uses, not all of which are peaceful. The use of space for civilian flights within a country and for the worldwide air services which have brought mankind and continents closer than they ever were and which have established means of communication unimagined by man even a few decades ago.

In a matter of hours a person can fly from one continent to another; the communications gap has been bridged by what seem to be...