Best Space Photos of the Week — May 3, 2015

Space Station Astronauts Take Russian Cargo Ship Failure in Stride

S.P. Korolev RSC "Energia"

A robotic Russian cargo spacecraft won't make it to the International Space Station as planned this week, but astronauts aboard the orbiting lab say the failure is not the end of the world. [Read the Full Story]

Click through this gallery to see more amazing space photos from the week.

Russian Spacecraft Spinning Out of Control in Orbit, with Salvage Bid Underway

NASA TV

The Russian space agency Roscosmos is scrambling to regain control of a robotic Progress 59 cargo ship that appears to have suffered a serious malfunction shortly after launching into orbit early Tuesday (April 28). [Read the Full Story]

NASA's Best Photos of Pluto Yet Show Possible Ice Cap (Video)

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

A Pluto-bound NASA probe has captured the best-ever images of the dwarf planet, revealing surface features that include a possible polar ice cap. [Read the Full Story]

Farewell, MESSENGER! NASA Probe Crashes Into Mercury

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

A NASA spacecraft slammed into the surface of Mercury on Thursday (April 30), bringing a groundbreaking mission to a dramatic end. [Read the Full Story]

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Launches Private Spaceship Test Flight (Photos, Video)

Blue Origin

The private spaceflight company Blue Origin launched a surprise test flight of its suborbital New Shepard spaceship on Wednesday (April 29), a mission that successfully demonstrated the space capsule but failed to recover its reusable rocket booster. [Read the Full Story]

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Launches Turkmenistan's First-Ever Satellite

Thales

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket roared to life Monday evening (April 27), delivering a telecommunications satellite to orbit. [Read the Full Story]

Astronauts in Space Mourn Nepal Earthquake Victims

Terry W. Virts (via Twitter as @AstroTerry)

Astronauts on the International Space Station have the people of Nepal in their thoughts and prayers after a devastating earthquake killed more than 4,000 people in that country on Saturday (April 25). [Read the Full Story]

Amazing 3D View of Iconic 'Pillars of Creation' Predicts Cosmic Demise (Video)

European Southern Observatory

A new study reveals more details about the orientation of the pillars of creation in the eagle nebula, thanks to 3D observations with the MUSE instrument on the VLT. [Read the Full Story]

Milky Way Majesty in Maine Captivates Night Sky Photographer (Photo)

A. Garrett Evans

This seven-image panorama shows the Milky Way above Cape Neddick Light Station in York, Maine. Astrophotographer A. Garrett Evans took this image on March 25 around just before the start of astronomical sunrise. He later shared the awesome sight with Space.com. [Read the Full Story]

Full Moon Shines Over Lighthouse in Stunning View (Photo)

Greg Diesel

A rare moment catches a photographer's eye in this stunning night sky photo. Veteran night sky photographer Greg Diesel Walck took this image of the moon over the Bodie Island Lighthouse in the Outer Banks of North Carolina during the Easter full moon in April. [Read the Full Story]

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Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.