Why is there nothing outside our atmosphere, in space?

Answer

You cannot say that there is “nothing” outside our atmosphere. Our atmosphere and our magnetic field protect us against all kinds of external influences.

For example, the Sun continuously emits 2 types of radiation: the solar radiation and the solar wind.

• The electromagnetic radiation of the sun provides light and heat, but also some invisible rays that can be harmful, such as the ultraviolet rays.
• The solar wind is a plasma: a stream of charged particles (ions and electrons) constantly escaping from the Sun into interplanetary space. The magnetic field of our planet protects us almost completely against the approaching solar wind by distracting it.

There is also cosmic radiation, which consists of a stream of charged particles with very high energy, especially hydrogen nuclei (protons) and helium nuclei (alpha particles). This radiation is blown away by the Sun during eruptions, but also by supernovas (explosions of stars) in the core of our galaxy and by other objects outside our galaxy. Fortunately, our lower atmosphere partially blocks the cosmic rays. This radiation poses a real danger to the astronauts and the satellites orbiting the Earth. When the astronauts go into space in their spacesuits, they can be exposed to a significant dose of radiation.