Space


 * For the Canadian television network, see Space (TV channel).

Space was a term used to refer to two different concepts relating to the universe. One of these terms was used with regards to dimensions; space is, linked to time, with space being the third dimension and time the fourth. (DW: An Unearthly Child) The term space was also used to refer to the vacuum that existed in the universe, outside of a planetary body's atmosphere. This was often known as "outer space".

Space travel
Space was a hostile environment existing as a vacuum. For a vast number of species required a form of spacecraft to enable them to travel through space. Some species such as Time Lords could survive for a period in the vacuum of space, though they still required oxygen to breathe. (DW: Four to Doomsday)

Development of the ability to travel through space was regarded as one of the first real steps species took in their planetary and species' development. The Time Lords developed space travel when "the universe was half its present size." (DW: Genesis of the Daleks) Humanity's first sojourn into exploring space began in the mid-20th century with the launch of several satellites. (EDA: Alien Bodies)

Biological abilities
Kitlings were a species that was able to travel seemingly through space (and time) without any technological requirements. (DW: Survival, NA: First Frontier)

Likewise, the Eight Legs could also transport themselves through space. (DW: Planet of the Spiders)

Space/vacuum exposure
Krynoid pods were able to survive exposure to the vacuum of space by hibernating during the voyage through space. (DW: The Seeds of Death)

Wirrn were also able to survive in and travel through space and were able to live without fresh air for several years, however they did need to return to a planet to gather food or breed. (DW: The Ark in Space)

The Rutan Host also could travel through space without any effects. (NA: Shakedown)

Behind the scenes
Physics tells us that space is interwoven with time, and the two should be considered as either one and the same or directly impacting each-other, as most physicists refer to the structure of existence as 'spacetime'. In traditional, Euclidian thinking, space has only three dimensions (height, width, and depth). Using the concept of spacetime, existence then has a 'fourth dimension', creating what is called the 'spacetime continuum', which is often another way of stating the 'universe at large'.

This is, of course, the science-fiction way of looking at things. Generally speaking it's a lot more complicated than that, but whenever the 'space-time continuum' is mentioned, they are generally referring to the Universe in general.

Early Doctor Who material was also far less technical that it has since become, often using technobabble and inaccurate descriptions under the pretense that most viewers wouldn't understand anyway. For example, in An Unearthly Child, Susan Foreman states that in addition to the three dimensions used in a math problem, you must also use a fourth, time, and a fifth, which she says is space. However, space is made up of the first three dimensions, meaning that her description of the problem was totally wrong.