From the transfer of shuttle Discovery to its new home to a SPACE.com tee up in a balloon, it's been a busy week in space. Vote for the week's best space story.<br><br>FIRST STOP: Space Zucchini's Life Blogged by Astronaut
A Zucchini has taken up residence on the International Space Station. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15280-space-zucchini-orbit-astronaut-pettit.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: Huge Satellite Loses Contact with Earth
The European Space Agency is struggling to restore contact with its massive satellite Envisat, the largest civilian Earth-observation satellite ever to fly in space. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15292-alaska-northern-lights-balloon-launch.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: Alaska Expedition Launches Cameras to Edge of Northern Lights
Researchers have sent their balloons into the auroras above Alaska and retrieved the instruments after they fell to the frozen earth. Now they just need to analyze the data. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15292-alaska-northern-lights-balloon-launch.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: Spectacular Solar Flare Erupts From the Sun
The sun erupted in an amazing solar flare today (April 16), unleashing an intense eruption of super-heated plasma that arced high above the star's surface before blasting out into space. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15300-solar-flare-sun-eruption-photos.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: 1st Private Mission to Space Station Set to Launch April 30
SpaceX is gearing up to launch its Dragon capsule on a flight to the International Space Station in just two weeks. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15296-spacex-private-launch-space-station-ready.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: Spaceport America Milestones
Spaceport America, which will be the hub for Virgin Galactic's space-tourism flights, hosted a record rocket launch recently and also decided to add another runway. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15312-spaceport-america-rocket-launch-runway-addition.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: 'Rogue' Alien Planets May Circle Billions of Stars
Billions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy have captured rogue alien planets that once cruised freely through interstellar space, a new study suggests. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15308-rogue-alien-planets-billions-stars.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: Mysterious Cosmic Rays Leave Scientists in the Dark
A new study is shaking up theories over the origins of mysterious cosmic rays in the universe. The research suggests gamma-ray busts - the most powerful explosions in the universe – aren't the only ways to make cosmic rays. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15323-cosmic-ray-mystery-unsolved.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: Space Shuttle Discovery Enters Smithsonian
NASA officially delivered the space shuttle Discovery, its longest serving crewed spacecraft, to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum on Thursday (April 19) during a public ceremony to hand over the iconic winged spacecraft. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15339-space-shuttle-discovery-smithsonian-museum.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: SPACE.com T-shirt Kisses Edge of Alaska's Northern Lights
It's been quite an odyssey for a SPACE.com T-shirt, which traveled from New Jersey to San Francisco to the edge of Alaska's auroras. It now sits in the frozen Alaska wilderness, waiting to be rescued. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15343-space-tshirt-alaska-northern-lights.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: Weekend Lyrid Meteor Shower Visible From Earth, Space and ... Balloon?
The annual Lyrid meteor shower will hit its peak this weekend and promises to put on an eye-catching display. So much so, NASA is pulling out all the stops. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15355-lyrid-meteor-shower-2012-space-balloon.html>Full Story</a>] <br><br>NEXT: Nearby Dark Matter Mysteriously Missing
A new study has found no trace of the mysterious invisible substance known as dark matter around the sun, adding a twist to current theories, researchers say. [<a href=http://www.space.com/15333-dark-matter-missing-sun.html>Full Story</a>]
