Best Space Pictures of the Week - Oct. 7, 2012

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Mars rover Curiosity targets the rock Jake Matijevic.

Mars Rover Curiosity Photos: Aug.-Sept. 2012

An American flag flaps proudly in the wind in front of space shuttle Atlantis on the Shuttle Landing Facility's Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Photos: NASA's Last Space Shuttle Landing in History

Astronaut Mike Fossum rides the space station robotic arm

Historic Photos: Final Spacewalk of NASA's Shuttle Era

The Southern Lights as Seen from the International Space Station

Photos: NASA's Last Shuttle Mission in Pictures

A camera aboard SpaceX's first upgraded Falcon 9 rocket shows the view down after launching from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sept. 29, 2013.

Launch Photos: SpaceX's Next-Gen Falcon 9 Rocket Soars on 1st Flight

Best Space Pictures of the Week - Jan. 6, 2013

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Weather On Mars Surprisingly Warm, Curiosity Rover Finds

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is enjoying some nice, warm weather on the Red Planet — and spring hasn't even come to its landing site yet. [Full Story]

2 of 11

Strange Layer of Venus Surprisingly Cold

Credit: ESA/MPS, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

A layer of Venus’ atmosphere may be cold enough for carbon dioxide snow, scientists say. [Full Story]

3 of 11

NASA Mulls Deep-Space Station on Moon's Far Side

Credit: Lockheed Martin

There appears to be support within NASA to position astronauts at an Earth-moon libration point to bolster the space agency’s plans of pushing beyond low-Earth orbit with its Orion spacecraft design. [Full Story]

4 of 11

Canada Unveils Next-Generation Robotic Arms for Spaceships

Credit: Canadian Space Agency

The Canadian Space Agency and Canadian company MDA (maintainer of past Canadarms) have unveiled what the next generation of Canadarm will look like. [Full Story]

5 of 11

Where Obama and Romney Stand on Space Exploration

Credit: NASA

President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney will face off in their first debate tonight (Oct. 3). Here is where they stand on America’s space program. [Full Story]

6 of 11

Pair of Black Holes in Star Cluster Surprises Scientists

Credit: Benjamin de Bivort; Strader, et al.; NRAO/AUI/NSF

Black holes might seem too monstrous to have company, but now researchers say they might not always be loners — new findings suggest they can coexist as pairs. [Full Story]

7 of 11

One Year In Space: US-Russian Crew Launching Audacious Spaceflight in 2015

Credit: NASA

The first-ever year-long mission to the International Space Station will launch in 2015 and feature an American-Russian crew, NASA revealed today (Oct. 5).[Full Story]

8 of 11

Alien Comet Cloud Spotted Around Faraway Star

Credit: NASA/FUSE/Lynette Cook

Scientists have discovered a cloud of comets around an alien star, suggesting the comets in our own solar system aren't so unique, scientists say. The comets were found around a star 63 light-years away. [Full Story]

9 of 11

Speed of Universe's Expansion Measured Better Than Ever

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The universe just got a new speeding ticket. The most precise measurement ever made of the speed of the universe's expansion is in, thanks to NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. [Full Story]

10 of 11

China's First Woman in Space: Q&A with Astronaut Liu Yang

Credit: China Ministry of National Defense

A Q&A with Liu Yang, who earlier this year became the first Chinese woman to reach space. [Full Story]

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How Sputnik Changed the World 55 Years Ago Today

Credit: NASA

Fifty-five years ago today, the Space Race was kicked into gear by a silver basketball flying through the sky. [Full Story]

Best Space Pictures of the Week - Oct. 7, 2012

Weather On Mars Surprisingly Warm, Curiosity Rover Finds

Strange Layer of Venus Surprisingly Cold

NASA Mulls Deep-Space Station on Moon's Far Side

Canada Unveils Next-Generation Robotic Arms for Spaceships

Where Obama and Romney Stand on Space Exploration

Pair of Black Holes in Star Cluster Surprises Scientists

One Year In Space: US-Russian Crew Launching Audacious Spaceflight in 2015

Alien Comet Cloud Spotted Around Faraway Star

Speed of Universe's Expansion Measured Better Than Ever

China's First Woman in Space: Q&A with Astronaut Liu Yang

How Sputnik Changed the World 55 Years Ago Today

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