Vote Now! Top Space Stories of the Week - Jan. 22, 2012

"Milky" Milky Way, Space Planes and Rocks From Mars

European Space Agency

An oozing alien world and space plane mystery are just two of several big stories in space for the week.

Take a look back at the biggest space stories last week , and vote now for your favorite of the bunch!

FIRST STOP: Milky Way's Color Is White As a Morning's Snow

Milky Way's Color Is White As a Morning's Snow

ESO/S. Guisard

Our galaxy is aptly named the Milky Way — it looks white, the color of fresh spring snow in the early morning, scientists now reveal. [Full Story]

NEXT: NASA's Newest Telescope Survives Funding Battle, But Challenges Remain

NASA's Newest Telescope Survives Funding Battle, But Challenges Remain

ESA

NASA's ambitious next generation space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, has become known more for running way over budget than for the exciting and potentially groundbreaking discoveries it could make. But, with funding now secured for the 2012 fiscal year, it is time to prove the naysayers wrong, project team members say. [Full Story]

NEXT: European Probe Finishes Mapping Big Bang's Echo

European Probe Finishes Mapping Big Bang's Echo

ESA - C. Carreau

The High Frequency Instrument on ESA’s Planck satellite has completed its survey of the remnant light from the Big Bang. [Full Story]

NEXT: Funding Drought Jeopardizes Future NASA Astronomy Missions

Funding Drought Jeopardizes Future NASA Astronomy Missions

NASA/MSFC/David Higginbotham

With NASA facing increasingly tight budget conditions, the agency's ability to conduct big flagship missions is at risk. Program Analysis Groups have been set up to devise ways to continue conducting cutting-edge science for lower costs. [Full Story]

NEXT: Comet's Death Dive Into Sun Seen in Detail for 1st Time

Comet's Death Dive Into Sun Seen in Detail for 1st Time

Science/AAAS

A comet that dove into the sun and disintegrated while NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory watched has given astronomers an unprecedented glimpse into the comet's origins and the building blocks of the solar system. [Full Story]

NEXT: 1st Private Rocket Launch to Space Station Delayed Until March

1st Private Rocket Launch to Space Station Delayed Until March

SPACE.com/Denise Chow

The launch of SpaceX's Dragon capsule on a test flight to the International Space Station will occur no earlier than late March, a company spokesperson confirmed. [Full Story]

NEXT: Weird World! 'Oozing' Alien Planet Is a Super-Earth Wonder

Weird World! 'Oozing' Alien Planet Is a Super-Earth Wonder

NASA

New observations by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggest that 55 Cancri e may be wetter and weirder than anyone imagined. [Full Story]

NEXT: Rare Mars Rocks Crashed to Earth in July

Rare Mars Rocks Crashed to Earth in July

© 2011 Darryl Pitt / Macovich Collection

A hail of Martian meteorites crashed to Earth last July, and collectors and scientists around the world are snapping up the ultra-rare rocks for display and study. [Full Story]

NEXT: US Joins Effort to Create Code of Conduct for Space

US Joins Effort to Create Code of Conduct for Space

European Space Agency

The United States will work with other nations to develop an international code of conduct for outer space, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Tuesday (Jan. 17). [Full Story]

NEXT: Manned Russian Rocket Launches from South America Look Doubtful

Manned Russian Rocket Launches from South America Look Doubtful

ESA/S. Corvaja

European space officials have claimed that manned flights from its South American spaceport could occur with the addition of some infrastructure upgrades, but ESA has known since 2004 that crews would not be launching from the spaceport. [Full Story]

NEXT: Tiny Invisible Galaxy May Be Made Completely of Dark Matter

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Space.com Staff
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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.