Unbounded means having no "EDGE". Like a Sphere, Torus or a saddle. More space is created by the expansion--it does not exist until then.

There is nothing for the universe to expand into since all of the "space" that exists is the volume of the universe at any instant.

if the galaxies far out are seen to be expanding at faster than the speed of light then that's what was happening 14 Billion years ago--assuming that the WMAP project's estimate is as certain as they claim.

Unbounded means having no "EDGE". Like a Sphere, Torus or a saddle. More space is created by the expansion--it does not exist until then.

There is nothing for the universe to expand into since all of the "space" that exists is the volume of the universe at any instant.

Saying that there are no other universes is a bit like saying there is no other intelligent life forms in this universe.
Which leads to the question "Why are you here?"

Don't you have to define "nothing" in order to explain the origin of the universe?
To me nothing is absolut nothing. Not even space and time.
Then we are here living in our universe that logically must have been created some time.
The easiest way is of course to say that our universe has been forever .
But that require that our universe should contract back again to a singularity.
But it doesn't.

Gravity does have an effect since the Andromeda Galaxy is racing towards us (and we are racing towards them of course) if this is a typical density of matter then I say we are contracting or at least gravity is slowing the expansion and it is not accelerating.

Then your assuming that galaxies are static and not moving in the space-time fabric.
Apparantly they are not since collisions of them happen all the time.
Also remember that the expansion velocity between objects depend how far from each other they are.
Galaxies that are moving faster than light from us are beyond the observable universe.

The universe may just have always been. If it contracted into an explosion called the big bang then that removes the troubling question of a creation event and where all that energy and mass came from. I can get my head almost around "always was" and rebounding countless times. This is easier for me than thinking of where and who or what found all that energy.

How do you know where our universe formed, inside or outside the main universe.

Well, our universe has to be somewhere in some other universe or perhaps nothing...

The universe may just have always been. If it contracted into an explosion called the big bang then that removes the troubling question of a creation event and where all that energy and mass came from. I can get my head almost around "always was" and rebounding countless times. This is easier for me than thinking of where and who or what found all that energy.

It's called The Cyclic Universe Theory that many scientists now are studying.
It's quite appealing because you don't have to worry about a creation.
Then also the "Inflation" era is not needed. Some even think it's a hack to get the calculations working:)
Perhaps not even having to worry about Quantum Gravity as well where you need the String Theory.
And the Universe always chose the most simple way!
Neil Turok Explains The Cyclic Universe Theory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEijLstRLg8

ultimate fate

At last, now you might realise the significance of the question in 1978654

IPerhaps one day ET will contact us and say that the answer is 41.75.

Well according to your theory, he already did. Just nobody has been able to decrypt the message. :-)

I just can't accept that the universe is flat like a disk, I believe as I think most people do, that the observable universe is like a balloon being inflated.

Nobody think universe is flat like a disk. It's the surface of the universe that appears flat from our view. The surface is a 2D model of the 3D world we live in.
A thought experiment. Inflate a balloon and measure the curvature using a triangle and calculate the sum of the angles.
You will notice that the sum of the angles will increase the bigger the ballon are.
Now if you inflate it to become infinitly large then the triangle's anglesum is 180 degrees, meaning that the surface is flat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape_of_the_universe

And no we are not creating time and space as we go either. Space consists of nothing, you can't create more nothing from nothing.

No. Our universe is creating time and space as we go. And space-time is something, not nothing.
We can measure space with a ruler and time with a clock, hence space-time is something.

Just what does that have to do with science? Somebody upset your little world?

As you said, anyone's theory is as good as anyone else's.
I agree with that but I find it rather strange that you who are very interested in space exploration, ignore scientific knowledge and methods that sometimes even go back more than 100 years.

You think space & time are created as the universe expands, OK you prove it, here and now, with solid, cast iron, concrete proof that will stand up to peer scrutiny. Go on I challenge you!

I can't prove that. Nobody can.
So why start a thread of the origin of the Universe?
Nobody will ever be able to prove anything of the origin.

We should be able to prove part of what we think the Universe is doing and has done. If we are quite sure that the universe is still expanding then that puts the lie to a static universe as does Einstein's general theory when the "Cosmological Constant" is properly interpreted. This would also imply an expansion and big bang explosion originating from a very small region.

If in fact we are now contracting, then that would suggest that this rebound theory just might be true. Perhaps if we could get ourselves straight on what mass is and where it's at we could reasonably prove if we will expand forever or contract. We appear to have been expanding faster in the distant past than we are now this would imply(if true) that gravity does and will stop the expansion if it already hasn't. I don't know why learned people say that the expansion is Currently accelerating. When I hear this I immediately think that there is something wrong with my reasoning powers.

So to recap : there are ways to gather evidence to posit what happened 13.8 Billion years ago and possibly to indicate what will happen in the far future. I point to the detection of the Cosmic Background Radiation, the WMAP and other all-sky surveys. I believe that Nature would take the the easiest way; we just have to figure out what that might be.

So to recap : there are ways to gather evidence to posit what happened 13.8 Billion years ago and possibly to indicate what will happen in the far future. I point to the detection of the Cosmic Background Radiation, the WMAP and other all-sky surveys. I believe that Nature would take the the easiest way; we just have to figure out what that might be.

As far as I know there no evidences of what happened before when the Universe was about 300 to 400 thousand years old.
Then the Universe was cold enough to start spreading photons.
Earlier than that is still only theories.
Like trying to figure out what happened when the universe was less then one Planck time old.
Then everything breaks down not to mention at zero Planck time...
Only a GUT, Grand Unified Theory, can perhaps explain more. But not all.
Well, it will keep scientists busy for many years to come:)

Oh. Our future seems to be, according to most scientists, that our universe will expand forever and become a very dark, cold and empty place with no galaxies, stars, black holes and eventually even particles will decay...

What Is Dark Energy?

More is unknown than is known. We know how much dark energy there is because we know how it affects the universe's expansion. Other than that, it is a complete mystery. But it is an important mystery. It turns out that roughly 68% of the universe is dark energy. Dark matter makes up about 27%. The rest - everything on Earth, everything ever observed with all of our instruments, all normal matter - adds up to less than 5% of the universe.

Any proof?

Dark Energy? Hehe:)
Here is one mystery to contemplate.
In order to be able to expand the universe it also has to "create" energy to keep the energy density aka Omega in space intact.
Omega is closely related to the Cosmological Constant.
Yes. Very strange but space has to do that so it doesn't violate the second law of thermodynamics.
The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time.
Proof that Dark Energy does it? None what so ever:)

Good question.
But if not then you have to include multiverses:)

Anyway Fermilab's Dr. Don Lincoln tells us a little about the observations that led to the hypothesis of dark energy and what is the status of current research on the subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THT_BAdKe6g

The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time.

How do we know the universe is an isolated system?

https://phys.org/news/2017-09-apparent-macroscopic-violation-law-thermodynamics.html
and
https://phys.org/news/2019-03-physicists-reverse-quantum.html

Ah. At last. Thermodynamics in the quantum world.
Physicists reverse time using quantum computer.
Are we up to that discussion? Lot's of reading needed and perhaps also understand what's it's all about.
Loop quantum gravity comes to mind but I could be wrong.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_quantum_gravity
I know some of the theories about it, reversing the arrow of time and such, but for now...
I think I go for a beer with quantum foam instead:)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_foam

Cheers.

The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time.

How do we know the universe is an isolated system?

I like this thought.

... because it does not lead to the idea that there might be multi or other verses...

It simply could mean there is no 'known' or 'calculable' border to our verse.

It might also mean that if we all agree our universe started as a dot in the big bang it had to have something to expand into. In other words the universe already existed before that dot of matter exploded and went forth into it (ahem.. contaminating it.)

The second law of thermodynamics is a great idea mathematically or observed locally but that doesn't mean it scales up or accounts for a fluid system or infinite possibility.

Nor does it account for trans or sub dimensional transfer of energy however minute. Say two linked particles rotating in the same direction across a vast distance that are caused to switch direction using force or energy at one point.

I think we like finite answers.

... but maybe the universe didn't start with a big bang or a big crush but actually just started as a vast bowl of soup or dust or matter particles that have coalesced into planets and us.

Can you actually call 'infinity' a system?

The second law of thermodynamics is a great idea mathematically or observed locally but that doesn't mean it scales up or accounts for a fluid system or infinite possibility.
Nor does it account for trans or sub dimensional transfer of energy however minute. Say two linked particles rotating in the same direction across a vast distance that are caused to switch direction using force or energy at one point.
I think we like finite answers.

Are you thinking of Quantum Entanglement aka "Spooky action at a distance"?
There is no energy involved in that phenomena and therefore the second law of thermodynamics is still safe.
There is not even any information exchange between them.
Very strange but that's how entangled particles work.

Can you actually call 'infinity' a system?

No.
Infinities are very abstract.There are many types of them and also sizes...
And you cannot compare infinity with finity, nor mathematical or in the real world.
A system is always finite. Like our universe that even though it has an infinite geometry it has a finite mass/energy content.