Best Space Photos of the Week - June 21, 2014

Rosetta Probe Sees Target Comet Quiet Down (Photo)

Rosetta Image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko — ESA/Rosetta/MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

The comet targeted by a European spacecraft has calmed onsiderably, just as the probe's chase enters the home stretch.

Comet's October Mars Flyby Won't Endanger Red Planet Probes

Comet Siding Spring — NASA/Swift/D. Bodewits (UMD), DSS

A comet's close brush with Mars later this year shouldn't threaten the spacecraft circling the Red Planet, researchers say.

Spacewalking Cosmonauts Finish Hard Work Outside Space Station

Two Russian cosmonauts are safely back inside the International Space Station today (June 19) after spending more than 7 hours outside for maintenance and equipment upgrades on the orbiting laboratory. [Read the full story here.]

Mountaintop Explosion Signals Start of Huge Telescope's Construction (Video)

Officials with the European Southern Observatory made way for the future European-Extremely Large Telescope on June 19, 2014 with a modest explosive blast atop a mountain in Chile. — ESO

A modest mountaintop blast in Chile today (June 19) kicked off construction of the largest optical/infrared telescope ever built on Earth.

Heart of Darkness: Strange Gas Stream Blots Out Galaxy's Bright Core (Video)

The bright center of a distant galaxy strangely and unexpectedly darkened recently, and now scientists think the culprit was a rare, powerful stream of gas blowing in front of it, eclipsing its heart.[See the video here.]

Ancient Dwarf 'Starburst Galaxies' Shed Light on Early Universe

Star Formations in Dwarf Galaxies — NASA, ESA, H.Atek (EPFL, Switzerland)and J-P.Kneib(EPFL, Switzerland)

Brilliant bursts of star formation in distant dwarf galaxies seen by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope could reveal new information about the early history of the universe, scientists say.

Rocket Fuel: How Astronauts Will Brew the Perfect Espresso in Space

Lavazza's and Argotec's 'ISSpresso' Machine — Lavazza/Argotec

Need a caffeine hit in space? For astronauts on the International Space Station, it will take less than two minutes to brew an espresso in a coffee machine slated for launch next year.

Russia Appoints 6 New Cosmonauts, Excludes Sole Female Candidate

Six New Members of Russia's Cosmonaut Corps — Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

Six new cosmonauts joined the ranks of Russia's space agency on Monday (June 16), two short of the eight candidates who started basic training for the job two years ago.

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