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Pictures of Spacecraft
Curiosity enters Mars' atmosphere
Curiosity fires thrusters during the guided entry phase of its arrival at Mars. With its heat shield nose tilted upward 20 degress with respect to its direction of motion, it actually flies in Mars' atmosphere, banking in S turns to aim it at a target position and velocity for parachute deployment.
Filed under pretty pictures, art, spacecraft, Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory)
In this artist's concept, Curiosity is in the final moments of its descent toward Mars, and is being lowered from the descent stage to the surface on three cables.
Filed under pretty pictures, art, spacecraft, Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory)
The crew of Shenzhou-9 trains in a capsule simulator. From left to right: Liu Wang, Jing Haipeng and Liu Yang.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, human spaceflight, astronaut, Chinese human spaceflight
Apollo 8 lifts off from Cape Canaveral on December 21, 1968.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, human spaceflight, rockets
Opportunity Deck Pan, December 2011 (sols 2811-2814)
Opportunity used its Pancam to take the images combined into this mosaic view of the rover. The downward-looking view omits the mast on which the camera is mounted. Heading into its fifth Martian winter, Opportunity's solar panels were dustier than ever, requiring the team to choose an area of high northward tilt to increase power.
Filed under Mars, Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity, spacecraft, pics of spacecraft in space
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft sits safely on a recovery barge after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on May 31, 2012. The Dragon completed a more-than nine-day trip in which it became the first private spacecraft to visit the International Space Station.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, private spaceflight
A fish-eye view of the Dragon spacecraft's interior, while docked to the International Space Station.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, International Space Station, private spaceflight
The Dragon spacecraft's parachutes are seen over the Pacific Ocean horizon at the moment of splashdown on May 31, 2012 at 11:42AM EDT (15:42 UTC).
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, private spaceflight
Soyuz reflected in Dragon solar array
In this picture by ESA astronaut André Kuipers, a reflection of one of the Soyuz capsules docked at the ISS can be seen in the Dragon spacecraft's solar array.
Filed under pretty pictures, pics of spacecraft in space, human spaceflight, International Space Station, Russian human spaceflight
WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo
Artist's concept of Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo, built by The Spaceship Company and Scaled Composites.
Filed under spacecraft, art, private spaceflight
In this screen grab from NASA TV, the Dragon spacecraft is seen shortly after the moment of capture by the International Space Station's Canadarm2, marking a milestone in both the COTS 2 flight and commercial space history.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, pics of spacecraft in space, International Space Station, private spaceflight
In this screen grab from NASA TV, the Dragon spacecraft is seen at the moment of capture by the International Space Station's Canadarm2, marking a milestone in both the COTS 2 demo flight and commercial space history.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, pics of spacecraft in space, International Space Station, private spaceflight
The Dragon capsule completes its two-step berthing procedure, officially becoming the first commercial spacecraft to visit the ISS on Friday, May 25, 2012.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, pics of spacecraft in space, International Space Station, private spaceflight
KSC-2012-2897 (22 May 2012) --- The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars into space from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:44 a.m. (EDT) May 22, 2012, carrying the Dragon capsule to orbit.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, private spaceflight, rockets
In this screencap from NASA TV, the Dragon spacecraft and its solar arrays can be resolved from the International Space Station. The Dragon flew under the ISS at a distance of 2.5 kilometers.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, pics of spacecraft in space, International Space Station, private spaceflight
Curiosity launches on an Atlas V
On Saturday, November 26 at 10:02 ET (15:02 UT), an Atlas V rocket carrying the Mars Science Laboratory lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, rockets, Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory)
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule begin to rise from the launchpad on May 22, 2012 at 3:44AM EDT (7:44 UTC). The mission, COTS 2, marks the first-ever attempt to berth a privately-owned spacecraft with the International Space Station.
Filed under pretty pictures, spacecraft, private spaceflight, rockets
XCOR's Lynx suborbital space plane
Filed under art, spacecraft, private spaceflight
Mars Exploration Family Portrait
Filed under spacecraft, art, Planetary Society store, NASA Mars missions before 1996, Russian Mars missions, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner, Nozomi (Planet-B), Phobos-Grunt and Yinghuo-1, Phoenix, Mars Exploration Rovers, Opportunity, Spirit, Mars Express
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