Vote Now! Best Space Stories of the Week – Feb. 23, 2014

Space Dust, Ultrafast Shock Wave and More

Last week scientists found that the explosive deaths of stars could be lopsided in shape, researchers learned space dust is filled with the building blocks for life, and astronomers discovered an ultrafast reverse shock wave while studying remnants of Tycho’s supernova. See the best stories from last week here.

FIRST STOP: NASA Moon Dust Probe Beams Its 1st Lunar Photos to Earth

NASA Moon Dust Probe Beams Its 1st Lunar Photos to Earth

The space agency's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer spacecraft (called LADEE for short) sent photos of the moon — released on Feb. 13 — back to ground controllers on Earth earlier this month. The new images show stars and the pockmarked lunar surface.

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NEXT: Space Dust Is Filled with Building Blocks for Life

Space Dust Is Filled with Building Blocks for Life

Life's building blocks have been discovered in a tiny fragment of the Murchison meteorite, which lends credence to the theory that life arose from outside of Earth.

[Full Story]

NEXT: NASA Teaches Humanoid Robonaut 2 Medical Skills for Space Emergencies (Video)

NASA Teaches Humanoid Robonaut 2 Medical Skills for Space Emergencies (Video)

NASA is training one of its humanoid robots to perform telemedicine, envisioning a future where the bot could act like a surrogate doctor, guided by experts on the ground to provide care for astronauts in space.

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NEXT: Kate Upton Goes Zero-G for Sports Illustrated's 2014 Swimsuit Issue

Kate Upton Goes Zero-G for Sports Illustrated's 2014 Swimsuit Issue

Swimsuit-clad model Kate Upton dives and floats, not in water, but through the air for a new spread in Sports Illustrated. Upton flew on a Zero Gravity Corporation flight to model new bikini and one-piece fashions in weightlessness for Sports Illustrated's 2014 swimsuit issue, which hit newsstands today (Feb. 18).

[Full Story]

NEXT: Calculated Risks: How Radiation Rules Manned Mars Exploration

Calculated Risks: How Radiation Rules Manned Mars Exploration

Scientists have calculated the radiation risk of a trip to Mars using data provided by NASA's Curiosity rover. The results highlight the risks that future human explorers might face.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Famous Star Explosion Lit by Ultrafast Mach 1,000 Shock Wave

Famous Star Explosion Lit by Ultrafast Mach 1,000 Shock Wave

Astronomers studying remnants of Tycho’s supernova, a stellar explosion famously observed by Tycho Brahe in 1572, discovered a reverse shock wave racing inward at Mach 1000, or 1,000 times the speed of sound.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Can Quiet, Efficient 'Space Elevators' Really Work?

Can Quiet, Efficient 'Space Elevators' Really Work?

A space elevator consisting of an Earth-anchored tether that extends 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) into space could eventually provide routine, safe, inexpensive and quiet access to orbit, some researchers say.

[Full Story]

NEXT: How Stars Die: Lopsided Nature of Supernovas Revealed

How Stars Die: Lopsided Nature of Supernovas Revealed

Explosive deaths of stars could be lopsided in shape, researchers find.

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NEXT: 5 Private Moon-Race Teams Compete for Bonus $6 Million

5 Private Moon-Race Teams Compete for Bonus $6 Million

Officials will the Google Lunar X Prize are planning to announce the five teams working toward a $6 million milestone prize that will help them launch toward the finish line on the moon in 2015.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Europe Picks Planet-Hunting Space Telescope for 2024 Launch

Europe Picks Planet-Hunting Space Telescope for 2024 Launch

The European Space Agency has greenlit a planet-hunting mission called Plato for a 2024 launch.

[Full Story]

NEXT: Spot Huge Asteroid Pallas in the Night Sky This Week