PIX4606235: Launch of the Venus Express Probe - Artist's View - Launch of Venus Express spacecraft - Artwork - The European Venus Express probe was launched on 9 November 2005 by a Soyuz - Fregat rocket and orbit around Venus on 11 April 2006. The european spacecraft Venus Express has been launched from Baikonur in november 2005 by a Soyuz - Fregat rocket and reaches the planet Venus on april 11 2006 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4606828: Model of the Rover MSL - Model Rover MSL - Test at CNES of the model of the Rover MSL in July 2009. This model at scale 1 was made by students of BTS section. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), named Curiosity, is a NASA rover to explore the surface of Mars starting in 2012. Test at CNES (Toulouse) in july 2009 of the animated replica of NASA's martian Rover MSL built by english industrial BTS students. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a rover that will study Mars' habitability. Launch is scheduled in the fall of 2011 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4605145: Delta II rocket decolling - DAWN probe - 09 - 2007 - Dawn spacecraft launch - 09 - 2007 - Delta II rocket decolving on 27 September 2007 carrying the DAWN probe destined for the study of the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. September 27, 2007. The Delta II rocket carrying Nasa's Dawn spacecraft rises from the smoke and fire on the launch pad to begin its 1.7 - billion - mile journey through the inner solar system to study a pair of asteroids. Liftoff was at 7:34 a.m. EDT from Pad 17 - B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The spacecraft will be the first to orbit two planetary bodies, asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, during a single mission. It is also NASA's first purely scientific mission powered by three solar electric ion propulsion engine / Bridgeman Images
PIX4607105: The Rosetta probe and the Steins asteroid - Rosetta spacecraft near asteroid Steins - Artist's view of the passage of the Rosetta probe near the Steins asteroid (2867) on September 5, 2008. The Rosetta probe was launched on 2 March 2004 in order to study comet 67P/Churyumov - Gerasimenko, which it should meet around May 2014. She will put a lander on her surface. Esa's Rosetta spacecraft flew by asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September 2008 at 20:58 CEST, ground received time (= spacecraft time CEST+20 minutes), with a closest approach distance of 800 km. Steins is Rosetta's first nominal scientific target. The spacecraft encountered the asteroid in the course of its first incursion into the main asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, while on its way to Comet 67P/Churyumov - Gerasimenko / Bridgeman Images
PIX4608859: Spiral Galaxy M31 in Andromede - The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) - The Andromede galaxy is located about 2.3 million years ago - light from Earth. Two satellite galaxies accompany him: M32 (NGC 221) on the left, and M110 (NGC 205) on the bottom right. Like the lactee path, the Andromede galaxy belongs to the local group, making up about thirty galaxies. Andromeda is the nearest major galaxy to our own Milky Way Galaxy. M31 is about 2.3 million light years far from us in the constellation Andromeda. It is the biggest member in our Local Group. Its diameter is more than 150,000 light years, compared to the Milky Way's 100,000 light years. M31 has two satellite galaxies: M110 (NGC 205) the elliptic galaxy at bottom right respect M31 core and M32 (NGC 221), the bright star - like object at left. The bright blue star at top is the 4.5th magnitude naked Andromedae / Bridgeman Images
PIX4605945: Juno Probe - Solar Panels - Juno Solar Panels - View of the solar panels of the Juno probe in operation verification. Launched in 2011, the Juno probe will reach Jupiter in 2016. It will then hold the record for the farthest solar power probe ever sent. Technicians at Astrotech's payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. stow solar array # 2 against the body of Nasa's Juno spacecraft. Launching from Earth in 2011, the Juno spacecraft will arrive at Jupiter in 2016 to study the giant planet from an elliptical, polar orbit. When Juno arrives at Jupiter in 2016, it will be farther from the sun than any previous solar powered mission. The choice of solar power for Juno necessitates very large solar arrays with dimensions of 2.65 meters wide by 8.9 meters long (about 9 feet wide by 29 feet long). Once in orbit at the giant planet, the three arrays will provide about 450 watts of electricity for Juno / Bridgeman Images
PIX4641897: Mercury - Atlas 9: Astronaut Gordon Cooper before the start - Pilot and spacecraft - Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, wearing his Mercury pressure suit, looks over the spacecraft which he named “” Faith 7”” at the top of the Pad 14 gantry at Cape Canaveral. Cooper is prime pilot for the MA - 9 mission - 196 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4644764: THEMIS satellites - View of THEMIS satellites in preparation at Cap Canaveral on 8 February 2007. This constellation of five satellites aims to better understand the origin of the polar aurora; for two years, satellites will align along the tail of the Earth's magnetic field to identify disturbances observed in the magnetosphere / Bridgeman Images
PIX4644502: Satellite Jason - 2 - Illustration - Artist view of satellite Jason - 2. This satellite launched on 20 June 2008 is dedicated to the study of the oceans. Artist's concept of the satellite Jason - 2. This satellite dedicated to studying the ocean was launched on June 20 2008 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4644645: Satellite MSG - 1 - Meteosat 8 - Artist's view of the European satellite MSG - 1 (Meteosat Second Generation, MSG) or Meteosat 8, in orbit around the Earth. Launched on August 28, 2002, it is a geostationary satellite located 35 600 km from Earth; dedicated to meteorology, it observes the Earth in visible, and in infrared. Artist's view of Meteosat Second Generation (MSG). Satellite observations from space contribute to better weather forecasts as only satellites can observe weather patterns on a global scale, including the Atlantic Ocean over which most of Europe's weather originates / Bridgeman Images
PIX4644070: Launch of the Helios 2A satellite - Satellite Helios 2A launch - Artist's view of the launch of the military satellite Helios 2A and the parasol and swarm microsatellites by an Ariane 5 G+rocket in December 2004. Artwork of the launch of the military satellite Helios 2A with the microsatellites Essaim and Parasol by an ariane 5 rocket in december 2004 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4642319: Station Mir - Panel damage.10/1997 - Mir station with damaged solar panel. 10/1997 - The Mir space station seen from the shuttle Atlantis. A solar panel damage to the Spektr module is visible. Russia's Mir Space Station backdropped against a cloud - covered Earth photographed during a fly - around by the Space Shuttle Atlantis following the conclusion of joint docking activities between the Mir - 24 and STS - 86 crews. One of the solar array panels on the Spektr Module shows damage incurred during the impact of a Russian unmanned Progress re - supply ship with collided with the space station on June 25, 1997 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4643335: Skylab Station - 06/1973 - Skylab Station seen from Skylab Module - 2 before returning to Earth. An overhead view of the Skylab 1 space station cluster in Earth orbit photographed from the Skylab 2 Command/Service Module during the final “” fly around”” inspection by the CSM. The space station is sharply contrasted against a black sky background. Note the deployed parasol solar shield which shades the Orbital Workshop where the micrometeoroid shield is missing. The one remaining OWS solar array system wing has been fully deployed successfully. The OWS solar panel on the opposite side is missing completely. 22 June 197 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4644522: Satellite Jason - 2 - Illustration - Artist view of satellite Jason - 2. This satellite launched on 20 June 2008 is dedicated to the study of the oceans. Artist's concept of the satellite Jason - 2. This satellite dedicated to studying the ocean was launched on June 20 2008 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4644915: Hubble Space Telescope: 1st maintenance mission 12 - 1993 - Astronauts install COSTAR during EVA for HST repair - Astronaut Thomas Akers prepares the installation of COSTAR, an instrument intended to correct Hubble's myopia. Kathryn C. Thornton is on the arm of the shuttle Endeavour with the instrument. Fourth extravehicular exit. Astronaut Thomas D. Akers maneuvers inside the bay which will house the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) while assisting astronaut Kathryn C. Thornton with the installation of the 640 - pound instrument. Thornton, anchored on the end of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm, is partially visible as she prepares to install the COSTAR. Dec 1993 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4644031: Satellite Parasol - Artist's view of the microsatellite Parasol in orbit around the Earth. This satellite launched in December 2004 studies the Earth's atmosphere. Parasol is a english earth observation microsatellite launched in december 2004 to study the Earth atmosphere / Bridgeman Images
PIX4642270: Mir station: exit of Vasili V. Tsibliyev 04/1997 - Exit into space of cosmonaut Vasili V. Tsibliyev on 29 April 1997. In the background the Kvant module of the Mir space station. This photograph, taken by NASA/Mir 23's Jerry M. Linenger, guest researcher, shows Mir 23 commander Vasili V. Tsibliyev during a five - hour spacewalk performed by the two outside the Russian Mir Space Station. Tsibliyev in new ORLAN - M space suit marked with red stripes works at the end of Strehla pole backdropped by Base Block and Kvant - 1 module. The tower - like structure in lower left is Sofora, which once was used for an experiment in attitude control on the Mir / Bridgeman Images
PIX4642232: Atlantis from Mir station 09/1996 - Atlantis seen from Mir station 09/1996 - Space shuttle Atlantis moored to Mir station. September 1996. View of the orbiter Atlantis docked to the Mir space station as seen from the Mir. he Cooperative Solar Array (CSA) can be seen just above the orbiter's flight deck / Bridgeman Images