Vote Now! Best Space Stories of the Week – Feb. 9, 2014

Olympic Space-Flown Torch, 'Baby Milky Way’ and More

Last week the 2014 Winter Olympic Games launched in Sochi using the torch that flew to the International Space Station, NASA’s rover Curiosity snapped its first photo of the Earth from the surface of the Red Planet, and the structure of the 'Baby Milky Way' galaxy was seen for the first time. See the best stories from last week here.

FIRST STOP: Sochi Winter Olympics Launch with Space-Flown Torch, Cosmonaut Flag-Bearers

Sochi Winter Olympics Launch with Space-Flown Torch, Cosmonaut Flag-Bearers

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games launched in Sochi, Russia, Friday (Feb. 7) using the torch that flew to the International Space Station. The space-themed spectacle, which took place as part of an elaborate opening ceremony, also had cosmonauts carry the Russian and Olympic flags.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Curiosity Rover Sees Earth from Mars for 1st Time (Photos)

Curiosity Rover Sees Earth from Mars for 1st Time (Photos)

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has snapped its first photo of Earth from the surface of the Red Planet, an amazing image that also includes the moon.

[See the photos here.]

NEXT: Tim Tebow Plays Moon Football in Super Bowl Ad (Video)

Tim Tebow Plays Moon Football in Super Bowl Ad (Video)

NFL star Tim Tebow is taking the Super Bowl into space today by tossing the pigskin on the moon in a T-mobile ad to air during the big game.

[See the video here. ]

NEXT: Depression in Space: How Computer Software Could Help Astronauts Cope

Depression in Space: How Computer Software Could Help Astronauts Cope

Astronauts on a deep-space mission are much too far removed to visit a specialist for cases of depression. Here's one way software could help space travelers.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Pow! Fresh Crater on Mars Spotted by NASA Spacecraft (Photo)

Pow! Fresh Crater on Mars Spotted by NASA Spacecraft (Photo)

A NASA spacecraft has snapped a stunning photo of a Martian crater that was gouged out of the Red Planet just in the last three years or so.

[Full Story]

NEXT: NASA Sun-Earth Video Wins International Science Challenge

NASA Sun-Earth Video Wins International Science Challenge

A video called “Dynamic Earth,” produced by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, has won an international visualization challenge sponsored by Science magazine and the National Science Foundation.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Ariane 5 Rocket Blasts Off on 250th Launch with 2 Satellites

Ariane 5 Rocket Blasts Off on 250th Launch with 2 Satellites

Dual payloads to broadcast television and broadband signals for Asia Broadcast Satellite and French and Italian security forces rocketed into orbit on an Ariane 5 rocket Thursday on Arianespace's landmark 250th launch.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Wobbly Alien Planet with Wild Seasons Found by NASA Telescope

Wobbly Alien Planet with Wild Seasons Found by NASA Telescope

Astronomers have discovered an alien planet that wobbles at such a dizzying rate that its seasons must fluctuate wildly.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Black Holes Heated Early Universe Slower Than Previously Thought

Black Holes Heated Early Universe Slower Than Previously Thought

Heating of the early universe that preceded its ionization was delayed and more uniform than previously predicted. These results indicate that the search for signatures of early ionization must be redefined to encompass a more complex signal.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Robotic Russian Cargo Ship Docks with Space Station after Express Flight

Robotic Russian Cargo Ship Docks with Space Station after Express Flight

An unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station today (Feb. 5) to deliver supplies to the crewmembers manning the space laboratory after a quick trip through space.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Peer Inside an Asteroid: Peanut-Shaped Space Rock's Insides Revealed (Photos)