Best Space Photos of the Week — May 10, 2015

Amazing Photo Shows SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Just Before Crash

SpaceX

An amazing new photo shows the first stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket just before it hit the deck of a robotic ship in the Atlantic Ocean during a bold landing attempt last month. [Read the Full Story]

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

Sun Unleashes Most Powerful Solar Flare of 2015

NASA/SDO

The sun unleashed its most intense flare of the year Tuesday (May 5), a monstrous blast that caused temporary radio blackouts throughout the Pacific region. [Read the Full Story]

To Boldly Brew: Astronaut Uses ISSpresso to Make 1st Cup of Coffee in Space

Samantha Cristoforetti on Twitter

Space: the final frontier — for coffee. Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, dressed in a "Star Trek" captain's uniform, became the first person in space to sip from a freshly-made cup of coffee on Sunday (May 3), using the International Space Station's newly-installed espresso machine. [Read the Full Story]

Century-Old 'Mini-Supernova' Captured in Gorgeous NASA Photo

NASA

A stunning new photo shows the expanding celestial fireworks created by a stellar explosion that first lit up Earth's skies more than a century ago. [Read the Full Story]

SpaceX Tests 'Revolutionary' Dragon Launch Escape System to Save Astronauts

NASA TV

SpaceX launched a major test Wednesday (May 5) of the innovative rocket escape system for its manned Dragon spaceships, a critical system designed to save astronauts in a launch emergency. See how the short test went. [Read the Full Story]

Green and Gold Northern Lights Dance in Stargazer's Spectacular Photo

Manish Mamtani | www.manishmamtani.com

This amazing image of the northern lights was a lucky shot for astrophotographer Manish Mamtani. Mamtani took the image from Long Lake Recreation Area in Wisconsin on March 17 and recently shared the stunning view with Space.com.[Read the Full Story]

This Galaxy Far, Far Away Is the Farthest One Yet Found

NASA, ESA, P. Oesch and I. Momcheva (Yale University0), and the 3D-HST and HUDF09/XDF teams.

Scientists have measured the distance to a galaxy more than 13 billion light years away, making it the most distant galaxy ever measured. [Read the Full Story]

Out-of-Control Russian Cargo Spaceship Falls Back to Earth

NASA

A robotic Russian cargo vessel has died a fiery death in Earth's atmosphere, nine days after launching on a failed mission to the International Space Station. [Read the Full Story]

Virgin Galactic's Next SpaceShipTwo Spaceliner Is Taking Shape

Virgin Galactic

Six months after Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crashed during a test flight, a new version of the suborbital space plane is coming together in a hangar in the California desert. [Read the Full Story]

Opportunity Rover Sees Rock Spire in Mars Crater

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ.

A new photo captured by NASA's Mars rover Opportunity shows a rocky spire in a shallow crater on the Red Planet. The mosaic, which combines images taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera on March 29 and March 30, depicts a shallow Mars crater called Spirit of St. Louis. [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.