
The two main parts of the ChemCam laser instrument for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission are shown in this combined…

In the cold vacuum of space, radiation from massive stars carves away at cold molecular clouds, creating bizarre, fantasy-like structures.…

A last quarter crescent moon above Earth's horizon is featured in this image photographed by the Expedition 24 crew on…

A technician examines the instrument mounting structure and bulkhead of the German-built infrared telescope installed in NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory.

Technicians carefully fill the FORCAST camera's dewers with liquid helium to cool the instrument during pre-installation checkout.

A sharp eye can pick out faint specks of stars reflected by the 100-inch (2.5 meter) primary mirror on NASA's…

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy 747SP flies over California's Mojave Desert during a functional check flight Dec. 9, 2009.

A rotating external door (white) was installed over the telescope cavity in the rear fuselage of NASA's SOFIA Boeing 747SP…

With a protective cover over its primary mirror, the high-tech German-built infrared telescope is nested in its framework inside the…

With a protective sun cover over its primary mirror, the high-tech German-built infrared telescope is nested in its framework inside…