Week in images: 25 - 29 October 2021

Discover our week through the lens

At 07:21 CET (06:21 GMT) Sunday 31 October ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer will be launched to the International Space Station to begin his Cosmic Kiss mission. Tune in to ESA Web TV channel two from 03:00 CET (01:00 GMT) for live coverage of the launch.

Washington DC (SPX) Oct 28, 2021
Materials with novel optical properties developed under DARPA's Extreme Optics and Imaging (EXTREME) program are providing new capabilities for government and military imaging systems. EXTREME, a basic research program in DARPA's Defense Sciences Office, successfully developed new optical components, devices, systems, architectures, and design tools using engineered optical materials, or metamat

Upton NY (SPX) Oct 29, 2021
Did you feel the trillions of neutrinos that just flew through your body? Probably not, because these subatomic particles rarely interact with matter. Neutrinos can travel through a lightyear's worth of lead without ever disturbing a single atom. Understanding these ghost-like particles could unlock mysteries of the universe, but how can scientists study neutrinos if they are seemingly undetecta

Lemont IL (SPX) Oct 29, 2021
Using the Advanced Photon Source, scientists have recreated the structure of ice formed at the center of planets like Neptune and Uranus. Everyone knows about ice, liquid and vapor - but, depending on the conditions, water can actually form more than a dozen different structures. Scientists have now added a new phase to the list: superionic ice. This type of ice forms at extremely hi

Washington DC (SPX) Oct 29, 2021
New findings from NASA's Juno probe orbiting Jupiter provide a fuller picture of how the planet's distinctive and colorful atmospheric features offer clues about the unseen processes below its clouds. The results highlight the inner workings of the belts and zones of clouds encircling Jupiter, as well as its polar cyclones and even the Great Red Spot. Researchers published several papers o

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 28, 2021
New studies of Jupiter's Great Red Spot released Thursday have found that while the meteorological phenomenon is deeper than originally thought, it's largely shaped like a flat lens about 10,000 miles wide. The vortex storm, the largest of many such spots on Jupiter's surface, extends up to 310 miles below the planet's cloud tops, some 100 miles deeper than previous research indicated.

San Diego CA (SPX) Oct 29, 2021
In a weightless, microgravity environment like space, what do ability and disability look like? How can someone with partial sight or impaired mobility navigate in a confined space like the space station? As scientists and innovators continue to push the boundaries of spaceflight and the possibility of human life on other planets, how can we build space infrastructure that is inclusive of all hu

Washington DC (SPX) Oct 28, 2021
Army Gen. Mark A. Milley pointed to China's recent test of a hypersonic weapon system as an example of why the U.S. military is concerned about Chinese intentions. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke on Bloomberg News' David Rubenstein Show and said DOD officials saw the test as "a very significant event." Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby emphasized that China's dev