PIX4638488: Humpback Whale - Humpback Whale - Humpback Whale jumping (Megaptera novaeangliae). Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. Humpback Whales breaching. Puerto Lopez, Ecuador / Bridgeman Images

PIX4638581: Faux de Verzy - Marne - Dwarf Beech - Faux de Verzy - France - Tortuosa (Fagus Sylvatica var Tortuosa). This remarkable tree is a rare beech variety with contorted branches and trunk, the origin of which remains unknown. The Faux site has been classified nationally since 1932. It became a State Biological Reserve in 1981. Dwarf Beech (Fagus sylvatica Tortuosa Group). Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France / Bridgeman Images

PIX4638590: Faux de Verzy - Marne - Dwarf Beech - Faux de Verzy - France - Tortuosa (Fagus Sylvatica var Tortuosa). This remarkable tree is a rare beech variety with contorted branches and trunk, the origin of which remains unknown. The Faux site has been classified nationally since 1932. It became a State Biological Reserve in 1981. Dwarf Beech (Fagus sylvatica Tortuosa Group). Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France / Bridgeman Images

PIX4638679: Vines of the Old College of Jesuites - Reims - Three hundred years old vines - Reims - Three hundred years old vines - Reims - Three feet of three hundred hundred years old vines among the oldest vineyards in France (330 years old), classified as historical monuments. Scriptures testify to their presence in 1678. Vines among the oldest in France - Ancien College des Jesuites - Reims, Champagne-Ardenne / Bridgeman Images

PIX4638687: Vines of the Old College of Jesuites - Reims - Three hundred years old vines - Reims - Three hundred years old vines - Reims - Three feet of three hundred hundred years old vines among the oldest vineyards in France (330 years old), classified as historical monuments. Scriptures testify to their presence in 1678. Vines among the oldest in France - Ancien College des Jesuites - Reims, Champagne-Ardenne / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639041: Back to the Moon: Arrival in Lunar Orbit - Artist's View - The Orion and Altair spacecrafts in lunar orbit - Lunar Program Constellation. The module resides Orion docks to the Altair planing module in orbit around the Moon. Orion should be able to take a crew of astronauts to the Moon in 2020. The Orion manned spacecraft, docked to the lunar module Altair, in lunar orbit. The Nasa's Project Constellation plans to send human explorers back to the Moon by 2020, and then onward to Mars; each Orion spacecraft will carry a crew of four to six astronauts / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639123: Space exploration: Soyuz spacecraft - Artist's view - Soyuz deep space explorer over the Moon - A spaceship inhabits Soyuz TMA-M increases by a housing module for three astronauts and a rocket top floor, joins the Moon. A manned Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft docked with a three-person extended stay module soars over the Moon with the aid of a Russian-made upper stage booster rocket. The upper stage booster is on the left with the Soyuz spacecraft on the right and the extended stay module in the middle of the assembly / Bridgeman Images

TEC4659828: Hotel d'Uzes, drawing by architect Claude Nicolas Ledoux (1736-1806), published in 1807 in his book L'architecture consideree sous le relation à l'art, les moreurs et de la législation. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4660240: India and Sri Lanka seen by Gemini - 11 09/1966 - India and Sri Lanka observed by Gemini - 11 on 14/09/1966 / Bridgeman Images

PIX4660503: Iran - Dust Tempete - Iran - Dust Tempete - Dust Tempete east of Bam city, south-east of Iran. Image obtained from the International Space Station on 15 February 2004 / Bridgeman Images

TEC4660517: Le Palais Brongniart, Palais de la Bourse, Place de la Bourse in Paris 75002. Construction 1808-1826, architect Alexandre Brongniart (1770-1847). / Bridgeman Images

PIX4660541: The Persian Gulf to the Detroit of Ormuz seen by the shuttle Atlantis on May 27, 2000 / Bridgeman Images

TEC4660546: Le Palais Brongniart, Palais de la Bourse, Place de la Bourse in Paris 75002. Construction 1808-1826, architect Alexandre Brongniart (1770-1847). / Bridgeman Images

OMG4639248: General View of Prague, Czech Republic. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639287: Lunar vehicle test. Program constellation - Lunar vehicle test. Constellation program - Lunar vehicle test as part of the Nasa constellation program that is expected to take men to the Moon around 2020. Here, a prototype of a pressurized vehicle (Lunar Electric Rover) that would allow future astronauts to travel long distances. For three days, astronaut Michael Gernhardt and geologist Brent Garry lived independently in the real conditions of exit to the Moon. Brent Garry gets out of the vehicle by putting on a pressurized suit. October 2008, Arizona, USA. During tests conducted for NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) at Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona, engineers, geologists and astronauts gathered to test two configurations of NASA's newest lunar rover prototype. The pressurized version, seen here and called the Lunar Electric Rover, includes a suitport that would allow crew members to climb in and out of spacesuits quickly for moonwalks. Here, Smithsonian Institution geologist Brent Garry donates his suit / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639316: Robonaut2, the Next Generation Dexterous Robonaut 2, designed by Nasa and General Motors, is a humanoid robot designed to assist humans on Earth and in space. Robonaut2 - or R2 for short - is the next generation dexterous robot, developed through a Space Act Agreement by NASA and General Motors. It is faster, more dexterous and more technologically advanced than its predecessors and able to use its hands to do work beyond the scope of previously introduced humanoid robots. Robonauts are designed to use the same tools as humans, which allows them to work safely side-by-side humans on Earth and in space / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639328: Robonaut2, the Next Generation Dexterous Robonaut 2, designed by Nasa and General Motors, is a humanoid robot designed to assist humans on Earth and in space. Robonaut 2, designed by Nasa and General Motors, is a humanoid robot designed to assist humans on Earth and in space / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639391: Permanent station between the Earth and the Moon - Artist view - Lunar cycler at apogee - Artist view - Lunar Cycler is a space station placed in orbit between the Earth and the Moon whose trajectory would alternate between the Moon and the Earth. Once positioned in orbit, this gravitational assistance vessel would use very little fuel. This project would make a permanent link between the two stars. A lunar cycler has reached its furthest orbital point from the Earth - the apogee - and is rounding the far side of the Moon to begin its fall back towards Earth. At apogee the lunar cycler is about 300 thousand miles from the Earth and 50 thousand miles beyond the orbit of the Moon (further from Earth than any human has ventured yet). If frequent manned trips to the Moon become a reality, the earlier “” throw-away”” technologies of the Apollo lunar missions will be impractical for the long term. More efficient and reusable systems will need to be developed in order to minimize the labor and resources required for these extraordinary voyages. A journey to the Moon can be broken down into three basic tasks: transfer between the Earth's surface and Earth orbit, transfer between Earth orbit and lunar orbit, and transfer between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface. While the simplest solution may be a single vehicle that could do all three, no technology today or in the foreseeable future can meet all these needs. One solution would be to dedicate separate vehicles for each the three tasks. A reusable space shuttle would lift explorers off the Earth's surface, a dedicated and reusable lunar shuttle would deliver explorers to the Moon's surface and back, and in between there would be a kind of orbital way station. One such way station is known as an orbital cycler. An orbital cycler is a vehicle that's in a permanent orbit around two celestial masses. In the case of a lunar cycler, the orbit would include both the Eart / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639559: Astronauts inspect a ship before it departs for Mars - Mars lander pre-departure inspection - Artist view - Astronauts perform an extravehicular outing to inspect a ship mooring to the Mars Cycler before it leaves for the red planet. Mars Cycler is a space station placed in orbit between Mars and Earth whose trajectory would alternate between Mars and Earth. Once positioned in orbit, this gravitational assistance vessel would use very little fuel. This project would make a permanent link between the two planets. A pair of astronauts in MMUS perform a final inspection of a manned Mars lander/return vehicle before disembarking for the surface of Mars. A Mars cycler is a permanently orbiting vehicle with a path that alternately brings it near Earth and Mars. Once a cycler has been accelerated into orbit it continues on its own momentum, going back and forth between the two planets, only requiring propellant for occasional course adjustments. A one-way trip between Earth and Mars involves six to eight months of space travel, therefore a large and well-equipped Mars cycler would offer space explorers, and possibly even space tourists, better accommodations for these long journeys. Smaller spacecraft would ferry travelers between the planets and the cycle / Bridgeman Images

TEC4639817: The royal greenhouses of Laeken in Belgium. Achievement 1873. In the 19th century, glass and metal, as new building materials, allowed the construction of a new type of building: the greenhouse. King Leopold II (1835-1909) entrusted the architect Alphonse Balat (1819-1895) with the construction of an ideal glass palace. Open to the public three weeks a year, the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken house an exceptional collection of plants, some dating back to Leopold II. Photography 30/04/06. / Bridgeman Images

TEC4639824: The royal greenhouses of Laeken in Belgium. Achievement 1873. In the 19th century, glass and metal, as new building materials, allowed the construction of a new type of building: the greenhouse. King Leopold II (1835-1909) entrusted the architect Alphonse Balat (1819-1895) with the construction of an ideal glass palace. Open to the public three weeks a year, the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken house an exceptional collection of plants, some dating back to Leopold II. Photography 30/04/06. / Bridgeman Images

TEC4639897: The royal greenhouses of Laeken in Belgium. Achievement 1873. In the 19th century, glass and metal, as new building materials, allowed the construction of a new type of building: the greenhouse. King Leopold II (1835-1909) entrusted the architect Alphonse Balat (1819-1895) with the construction of an ideal glass palace. Open to the public three weeks a year, the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken house an exceptional collection of plants, some dating back to Leopold II. Photography 30/04/06. / Bridgeman Images

TEC4639902: The Japanese tower of Laeken Park in Belgium. Construction 1873. Photography 30/04/06. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4647054: Extra - vehicle exit C.Meade - M.Lee STS - 64 1994 - Astronauts Carl Meade and Mark Lee EVA - Extra - vehicle exit by Carl Meade and Mark Lee (right at the end of the articule arm) who are testing a SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue) rescue procedure. 16/09/1994. Astronauts Carl Meade and Mark Lee (red strip on suit) test the new Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) system. The pair was actually performing an in - space rehearsal or demonstration of a contingency rescue using the never - before flown hardware. Sep 16 1994 / Bridgeman Images

PIX4647118: Release of Carl J. Meade 09/1994 - Astronaut Carl J. Meade during EVA. Sep 16 1994 - Extra vehicle release by Carl J. Meade testing the SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue) system. 16/09/1994. Astronaut Carl J. Meade tests the new Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) system 130 nautical miles above Earth. The scene was captured with a 70 mm handheld Hasselblad camera with a 30 mm lens attached. The hardware supporting the LIDAR - in - Space Technology Experiment (LITE) is in the lower right. A TV camera on the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm records the Extravehicular Activity (EVA). Astronauts Meade and Mark C. Lee took turns using the SAFER hardware during their shared EVA of Sept. 16, 1994. The test of SAFER is the first phase of a larger SAFER program whose objectives are to establish a common set of requirements for both space shuttle and space station program needs, develop a flight demonstration of SAFER, validate system performance and, finally, develop a production version version of SAFER for the shuttle and station programs / Bridgeman Images

PIX4647228: Crew STS - 73 07/1995 - STS - 73 crew portrait 07/1995 - Crew portrait STS - 73, front of left: Albert Sacco, Kent Rominger, Michael Lopez - Alegria; behind left: Catherine Coleman, Kenneth Bowersox, Fred Leslie, and Kathryn Thornton. July 1995. STS - 73 crew portrait front row (l. - r.): Albert Sacco Jr., payload specialist; Kent V. Rominger, pilot; Michael E. Lopez - Alegria, mission specialist; back row (l. - r.) Catherine G. Coleman, mission specialist; Kenneth D. Bowersox, commander; Fred W. Leslie, payload specialist; and Kathryn C. Thornton, payload commander. Jul 1995 / Bridgeman Images

PIX4647315: Shuttle Columbia landing (STS-80) 07/12/1996 - Shuttle Columbia landing 12/1996 - Shuttle Columbia landing at Kennedy Space center. Shuttle Columbia swoops down on KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, Runway 33. Dec 07 1996 / Bridgeman Images

TEC4647346: Plunging view of the Potsdamerplatz in Berlin (Germany). / Bridgeman Images

PIX4647402: Data verification in Discovery 08/1997 - Data checking in space shuttle Discovery. 08/1997 - Astronaut Curtis Brown checks 50 pages of data sent by flight controllers. 08/1997. At the Space Shuttle Discovery's Thermal Imaging Printing System (TIPS) station, Curtis Brown checks some 50 pages of data sent up by flight controllers. Aug 1997 / Bridgeman Images

TEC4647433: The Konzerthaus in Gendarmenmarkt Square in Berlin (Germany). Architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841), 1818. Photography 15/08/03. / Bridgeman Images

TEC4647464: The Bundestag, Tiergarten, Platz der Republik 1 in Berlin (Germany). Architect Paul Wallot (1841-1912), 1884-1894. Photography 10/08/03. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4647473: Shuttle Endeavour in orbit 12/1998 - Earth with Endeavour space shuttle 12/1998 - Wide angle view of the Earth from space shuttle Endeavour. 12 - 1998. The crew of STS - 88 mission began construction of the International Space Station, joining the U.S. - built Unity node to the Russian - built Zarya module. The crew carried a large - format IMAX camera from which this picture was taken. - Payload bay camera view of Mozambique. Dec 1998 / Bridgeman Images

PIX4647492: Crew STS - 91 in the shuttle Discovery 06/1998 - STS - 91 crew in Discovery. 06/1998 - Downstairs, Wendy Lawrence, then clockwise, Andrew Thomas, Charles Precourt, Valery Ryumin, Janet Kavandi, Dominic Gorie, and Franklin Chang - Diaz. 1998. The seven crew members of STS - 91 pose for their traditional in - flight crew portrait aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Wendy B. Lawrence, mission specialist, at bottom center, (counter - clockwise from Lawrence) Andrew Thomas, mission specialist; Charles Precourt, mission commander; Valery Ryumin, mission specialist representing the Russian Aviation and Space Agency; Janet Kavandi, mission specialist; Dominic Gorie, pilot and Franklin Chang - Diaz, payload commander / Bridgeman Images

PIX4647521: Crew in the shuttle Columbia STS - 93 07/1999 - STS - 93 astronauts on Columbia's middeck - Portrait of the crew of the mission STS - 93 Front: Eileen M. Collins and Michel Tognini (CNES); behind (left - d.): Steven A. Hawley, Jeffrey S. Ashby, Catherine G. (Cady) Coleman. Portrait of the five STS - 93 astronauts on Columbia's middeck. Front row: Eileen M. Collins, mission commander, and Michel Tognini, mission specialist representing France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES); back row (l. - r.): Steven A. Hawley, mission specialist; Jeffrey S. Ashby, pilot; and Catherine G. (Cady) Coleman, mission specialist. Jul 1999 / Bridgeman Images

TEC4647563: Berlin Philarmonia and Zoo (Germany), construction 1961-1964, architect Hans Scharoun and Edgar Wisnieewski. / Bridgeman Images

TEC4647642: Friedrichstrasse in Berlin (Germany). / Bridgeman Images