FLO4639208: Diplodocus is an endless genus of late Jurassic diplodocide sauropod. Colour illustration by Heinrich Harder (1858-1935), in “” Tiere der Urwelt”” (Animals of Prehistory), texts by Wilhelm Bolsche (1861-1939), 1916, Hamburg (Germany). Image from a series of maps published by the Reichardt Cocoa company in 1908. / Bridgeman Images

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

TEC4639718: The Atomium of Brussels (Belgium) after renovation. Architect Engineer: Andre Waterkeyn, 1958. Photography 17/03/06., Waterkeyn, Andre (1917-2005) / Bridgeman Images

TEC4639740: The Atomium of Brussels after renovation. Engineer: Andre Waterkeyn, construction 1958. Photography 17/03/06., Waterkeyn, Andre (1917-2005) / Bridgeman Images

FLO4639800: Teleosaur, kind of carnivorous crocodile, is Cretace. Chromolithography of F. John (series prehistoric animals of the Reichardt Cocoa Company), originally published in “Animals of the Prehistoric World”, 1910, Hamburg (Germany), text by Wilhelm Bolsche. / 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

FLO4639830: Compsognathus longipes, a genus of small bipede dinosaurs of Jurassic carnivorous. Chromolithography of F. John (series prehistoric animals of the Reichardt Cocoa Company), originally published in “Animals of the Prehistoric World”, 1910, Hamburg (Germany), text by Wilhelm Bolsche. / Bridgeman Images

TEC4639841: 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

FLO4639863: Archegosaurus, genus of Temnospondyl amphibian, Permian. Chromolithography of F. John (series prehistoric animals of the Reichardt Cocoa Company), originally published in “Animals of the Prehistoric World”, 1910, Hamburg (Germany), text by Wilhelm Bolsche. / Bridgeman Images

TEC4639869: 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

FLO4639913: Torosaurus latus and monoclonius, ceratopside dinosaur eteint, of late Cretace. Chromolithography of F. John (series prehistoric animals of the Reichardt Cocoa Company), originally published in “Animals of the Prehistoric World”, 1910, Hamburg (Germany), text by Wilhelm Bolsche. / Bridgeman Images

TEC4639946: 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

TEC4640034: 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

FLO4640075: Sharp-tailed grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus (Long-tailed grouse, Tetrao phasianellus) Illustration copied from George Edwards. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from “” The Naturalist's Pocket Magazine,”” Harrison, London, 1803. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4640078: Experience Mars500 - Mars500 experiment facility in Moscow - Installed at the Russian Institute of Bio-Medical Problems (IBMP) in Moscow, the 550 m Seal Simulator consists of an interplanetary spacecraft and a Martian lander, and features a Martian landscape. The Mars500 experience is a Martian mission simulation that began on June 3, 2010. The crew locked up for 520 days consists of six people. They are Italian-Colombian Diego Urbina (27) and Frenchman Roman Charles (31) selected by ESA, Russian Sukhrob Kamolov (32), Alexey Sitev (38), Alexandr Smoleevskiy (33) and Chinese Wang Yue (26). March 500, the first full-length simulated mission to Mars, started on June 3 2010 when the six-man crew entered their 'spacecraft' and the hatch was closed. The experiment will run until November 2011. Diego Urbina and Romain Charles from Europe, Sukhrob Kamolov, Alexey Sitev, Alexandr Smoleevskiy and Wang Yue from China face a mission that is as close as possible to a real space voyage without leaving the ground. During 520 days, they will live and work like astronauts, eat special food and exercise in the same way as crews aboard the International Space Station / Bridgeman Images

LRI4639302: Etruscan civilization: decorated column capitals from the tomb Campanari a Vulci, Italy. End 4th, beginning 3rd century BC. Florence, Museo Archeologico, Etruscan, (4th century BC) / Bridgeman Images

LRI4639312: Etruscan civilization: decorated column capitals from the tomb Campanari a Vulci, Italy. End 4th, beginning 3rd century BC. Florence, Museo Archeologico, Etruscan, (4th century BC) / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639339: 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

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

FLO4639434: Aepycamelus, kind of camelide, from the Miocene era. Chromolithography by Heinrich Guardian (1858-1935) (series prehistoric animals of the Reichardt Cocoa Company), originally published in “Animals of the Prehistoric World”, 1916, Hamburg (Germany), text by Wilhelm Bolsche. / Bridgeman Images

FLO4639445: Metamynodon, genus is of amynodont perissodactyls, from the Eocene period to the beginning of the Miocene years. Chromolithography by Heinrich Guardian (1858-1935) (series prehistoric animals of the Reichardt Cocoa Company), originally published in “Animals of the Prehistoric World”, 1916, Hamburg (Germany), text by Wilhelm Bolsche. / Bridgeman Images

TEC4639451: Facade of the House of the Dukes of Brabant in Brussels, Belgium. The denomination of the dukes of Brabant comes from the nineteen busts adorning the basement of the pilasters on the first floor. Its facade (1698) is surmounted by a beautiful rounded pediment whose eardrum is attributed to P.Ollivier.Photograph 10/04/99. / Bridgeman Images

FLO4639480: Tarsius, (tarsian or tarsier) primate of the genus Happlorhinian, which appeared 45 million years ago. Chromolithography by Heinrich Garden (1858-1935) (series prehistoric animals of the Reichardt Cocoa Company), originally published in “Animals of the Prehistoric World”, 1916, Hamburg (Germany), text by Wilhelm Bolsche. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639544: Permanent station between Mars and Earth - Artist view - Mars lander departs cycler - Artist view - A landing ship (top left) leaves the Mars Cycler to land on 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 manned Mars lander/return vehicle, upper left, disembarks from a Mars cycler 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

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

TEC4639574: Sheraton in Brussels, Belgium. / Bridgeman Images

FLO4639593: Water varan (Varanus salvator). Chromolithography of F. John (series prehistoric animals of the Reichardt Cocoa Company), originally published in “Animals of the Prehistoric World”, 1910, Hamburg (Germany), text by Wilhelm Bolsche. / 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

PIX4639447: Travel lives to Mars -Illustration - Manned mission to Mars - Artist vie / Bridgeman Images

PIX4639465: Mission habitee vers Mars-View d'artiste - Manned mission to Mars - Artist vie / Bridgeman Images

FLO4639588: Pteranodon Nyctodactylus gracilis, flying reptile disappeared from the Cretace period. Chromolithography of F. John (series prehistoric animals of the Reichardt Cocoa Company), originally published in “Animals of the Prehistoric World”, 1910, Hamburg (Germany), text by Wilhelm Bolsche. / Bridgeman Images

FLO4640142: Spotted marmot or souslik, Spermophilus suslicus. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from “” The Naturalist's Pocket Magazine,”” Harrison, London, 1799. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4640149: Space Station in Orbit - Illustration - Space station in orbit - Illustration - A space station orbiting the Earth. Artwork / Bridgeman Images

FLO4640205: Collared peccary, Pecari tagacu. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from “” The Naturalist's Pocket Magazine,”” Harrison, London, 1800. / Bridgeman Images

PIX4640224: Space lift on the Moon - Artist's view - Lunar elevator lunar base - Lunar base equipped with a space lift. A manned lunar space elevator prepares to depart from its manned lunar base. Surrounding it are support facilities and cargo. The yellow machine on the right is an articulated manned manipulator for handling cargo and managing the elevator. The space elevator concept involves running a cable from the surface of a planet or moon up to a gravitationally - stable point in space, whereupon a specially - designed vehicle can climb and descend the cable. Also known as tether propulsion and non-rocket space launch, this method permits an alternative way to access space. In the case of the lunar space elevator, the cable is anchored to the surface of the Moon and ascends to a stable Lagrange point. In this illustration the cable, in the form of a ribbon, is anchored to the southern hemisphere of the near - side of the Moon and ascends approximately 35,000 miles towards the Earth. The manned climbing vehicle, the “” elevator,””” is powered by solar energy collected via its array of photovoltaics. The manned elevator illustrated is approximately 160 feet long. Traveling at a velocity of roughly 60 mph it would take the elevator about 3 weeks to cover the distance between the lunar surface and Lagrange point in space / Bridgeman Images

LRI4640271: Statuette of a woman holding her chest, 6th century BC (terracotta), Carthaginian (7th-3rd century BC) / Bridgeman Images