new york travel: Weekly Impressive Space Photos: July 24

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Weekly Impressive Space Photos: July 24 - Education

The first close-up photo of the huge asteroid Vesta, the photo of NASA?s space shuttle Atlantis returning the Earth from the last flight of its era, the photo of a tiny new moon discovered around Pluto and so on are some among the most impressive space photos last week.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has beamed home its first close-up photo of the huge asteroid Vesta. Dawn spacecraft has taken this photo with its framing camera from a distance of around 15,000 kilometers away from the protoplanet. According to scientists, this new photo shows Vesta in in greater detail than ever before. Astronomers have been observing this huge asteroid since hundreds years ago, using ground telescopes as well as orbiting observatories. However, they have never been able to see it so clearly.

The close-up photo of the huge asteroid Vesta taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft

The close-up photo of the huge asteroid Vesta taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, participated in the club of nonagenarians on July 18. The 80-year-old NASA?s original astronaut is considered as an American spaceflight icon

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, participated in the club of nonagenarians on July 18. The 80-year-old NASA?s original astronaut is considered as an American spaceflight icon

NASA?s space shuttle Atlantis begins the trip back to Earth after its last visit to the orbiting lab in the International Space Station

NASA?s space shuttle Atlantis begins the trip back to Earth after its last visit to the orbiting lab in the International Space Station

The photos by the Hubble Space Telescope show that there is a tiny new moon around Pluto. The moon named P4 is the fourth and smallest one discovered orbiting the dwarf planet.

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The photos by the Hubble Space Telescope show that there is a tiny new moon around Pluto. The moon named P4 is the fourth and smallest one discovered orbiting the dwarf planet.

?A tiny new moon named P4 is discovered around Pluto

NASA's space shuttle Atlantis has returned to Earth after finishing its 13-day space mission. The NASA's iconic space shuttle will fly no more after 30 years of spaceflight.

NASA's space shuttle Atlantis has returned to Earth after finishing its 13-day space mission. The NASA's iconic space shuttle will fly no more after 30 years of spaceflight

NASA's space shuttle Atlantis

NASA's next Mars rover is landing at a giant crater called Gale. According to NASA officials, the crater is about 154 kilometers wide and has a mountain at its center.

NASA's next Mars rover is landing at a giant crater called Gale

On July 20, people celebrated the first spacecraft to land successfully ?on Mars ? the NASA?s Viking 1. Touching down on the Red Planet 35 years ago, the spacecraft has helped answer many questions about the nature of Earth?s neighbor.

On July 20, people celebrated the first spacecraft to land successful on Mars ? the NASA?s Viking 1. Touching down on the Red Planet 35 years ago, the spacecraft has help answer many questions about the nature of Earth?s neighbor