Best Space Pictures of the Week - Oct. 20, 2012

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With its drag chute unfurled, space shuttle Discovery rolls down Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Landing was at 11:57 a.m. EST, completing the 13-day STS-133 mission to the International Space Station.

Photos of Discovery's Final Mission: STS-133

This photo of the moon's south pole, taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows some of the permanently shadowed regions.

Photos: The Search for Water on the Moon

Astronauts Mark Kelly, STS-134 Commander, and Scott Kelly, Expedition 26 Commander.

Twins In Space: NASA's Twin Astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly (Photos)

Photos: Shuttle Endeavour's California Sightseeing Tour

Curiosity's Entry, Descent and Landing Team Cheer Successful Landing

Image of the Day: September 2012

On Feb. 20, 1962, John Glenn rode the Friendship 7 capsule into space, the first time an American orbited the Earth. In this image, Glenn enters the capsule with assistance from technicians.

Photos: John Glenn, First American in Orbit

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Keck Observatory: Cosmic Photos from Hawaii's Mauna Kea

Credit: W. M. Keck Observatory

Photo of the Keck I and II domes at sunset, used as cover art for the award-winning DVD "The Kecks of Mauna Kea." [Full Photo Gallery]

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Satellite Sees Hurricane Merge With Cold Front

Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

Hurricane Rafael ended its run as a tropical cyclone yesterday (Oct. 18), when it merged with a cold front off the coast of Nova Scotia, an event caught by NASA's Terra satellite. [Full Story]

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Shuttle Endeavour's L.A. Journey Stars in Stunning Time-Lapse Movie

Credit: Matthew Givot

Space shuttle Endeavour, you're a star. A captivating new time-lapse movie has condensed Endeavour's recent three-day road trip to a Los Angeles museum into mere minutes, offering a spectacular tribute to the spaceship and the City of Angels. [Full Story]

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Space Station Crew Gives Spacesuits a Piggyback Ride (Photo)

Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov

A giant wave of super-hot solar plasma larger than the Earth erupted from the sun on Friday (Oct. 19) in a spectacular display captured by a NASA spacecraft. [Full Story]

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Spiral Galaxy Shakes Off Cosmic Dust in Photo

Credit: Bill Snyder Astrophotography

Surrounded by dust from the Integrated Flux Nebula, Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 6952 shines brightly in this stunning night sky photo. [Full Story]

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Spectacular Meteor Sparks Fireball Over California

Credit: Rachel Fritz & Rick Nolthenius/Cabrillo College

A spectacular meteor lit up the sky over California Wednesday night (Oct. 17) just days before a highly anticipated meteor shower hits its peak this weekend. [Full Story]

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Window to the Stars: Canyon and Cosmos Dazzle in Photo

Credit: Tunc Tezel / The World At Night

The elusive False Kiva in Utah's Canyonlands National Park offered a perfect vantage point for one night sky photographer to capture the stars. [Full Story]

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Jump They Say

Credit: Red Bull Stratos/Red Bull Content Pool

After flying to an altitude of 128,100 feet (39,045 meters) in a helium-filled balloon over Roswell, New Mexico, Felix Baumgartner begins his record-breaking jump from the edge of space, Oct. 14, 2012. [Full Photo Gallery]

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Living Out in L.A., Such a Beautiful Day

Credit: California Science Center (via Twitter as @casciencecenter)

The California Science Center tweeted this picture of retired shuttle Endeavour rolling east through the streets of Los Angeles early on the morning of October 14, 2012. They wrote: “Thru Arlington, into the sunrise http://ow.ly/i/11pGt“. [Full Photo Gallery]

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Brother, Can You Spare a Planetary Nebula?

Credit: ESO

Planetary nebula IC 5148 lies about 3000 light-years away in the constellation of Grus (The Crane). The nebula, with a diameter of a couple of light-years, expands at over TK miles (50 kilometers) per second, making it one of the fastest expanding planetary nebulas. (The term “planetary nebula” is a misnomer created by early astronomers’ mistaking the objects for giant planets.) The ring-like appearance of IC 5148 led astronomers to nickname it the Spare Tyre Nebula. [See More Images]

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Epic Supersonic 'Space Jump' Recreated with LEGO Man

Credit: Stratos Jump/Model Maker Faire

Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner amazed the world when he went supersonic during a record-smashing 24-mile skydive on Sunday (Oct. 14). If it left you wanting more, have no fear: You can see it again in … LEGO form. [Full Story]