A Field Of Volcanoes And A Hurricane Seen From Space
Claire Maldarelli
at 10:08 AM Oct 10 2016
A Field Of Volcanoes And A Hurricane Seen From Space
New Shepard Survives, Goes Into Retirement
NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using MODIS data from the Land Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE)

As far as weeks of amazing science and technology images go, this has been a good one.

 
 
 
Playstation VR

Xavier Harding

Playstation debuted its new virtual reality headset system this week. Popular Science received a device early. Our conclusion, according to PopSci tech editor Xavier Harding: "If you're not a PC gamer but are still interested in hardcore VR games, this is the one to get." 

 
 
 
Sputnik Planum

New Horizons/NASA

Pluto's Sputnik Planum

Using images taken from the New Horizon's Spacecraft, NASA team members helped to create a 3D model of Sputnik Planum, an icy plain on Pluto. In this screenshot above, they used a 'scattering map' as the texture. This processing illuminates patterns, as seen above, in the glacial plains that had never been seen in this way before.

 
 
Hurricane Matthew from space

NASA

Hurricane Matthew From Space

NASA has also been tracking Hurricane Matthew all week from the International Space Station as it sweeps across the Atlantic Ocean. In this image above, taken by astronaut Kate Rubins, the space station is flying directly over the storm.

 
 
Mars in ultraviolet light

NASA/Goddard/University of Colorado/LASP

Happy First Birthday, MAVEN

This week marked the first anniversary of NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN). As of October 3rd, the spacecraft has spent an entire Mars year, which is just under two Earth years, exploring the red planet close up. You can read more about what its accomplished this year, here. The image above, which was taken this summer on July 13th, uses false colors to show what Mars would look like if someone saw it through ultraviolet light.

 
 
The James Webb Telescope

NASA

A Peek At The James Webb Telescope

The James Webb Telescope, when finished, will use infrared light to study the formations of planets, galaxies, and stars in space. But this week NASA gave us a sneak peek of the beast. The image above shows it sitting inside a clean room at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

 
 
Oculus Connect

Oculus Connect

Facebook In Virtual Reality

This week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg showed off Oculus's new software: Oculus Room and Oculus Social. The Facebook-acquired company's new software allows users to experience Facebook in virtual reality, as depicted by the GIF above.

 
 
China's rocket-powered spaceplane

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology

China's Rocket-Powered Spaceplane

A state-backed firm in China announced this week its newest vision to get to space: a rocket-powered spaceplane. The vehicle would take off like a rocket and return to Earth like a shuttle. Read more about it here.

 
 
a South African flower called *Ceropegia sandersonii*

Stefan Dötterl

A Clever South African Flower

Researchers reported this week an unusual trick that the plant pictured above, a South African flower called Ceropegia sandersonii, is able to pull off. To attract flies, the flower secretes a scent that closely resembles the odor that a honeybee secretes when it's in distress. Flies typically feast on the bodily fluids of struggling prey, like bees, but in this case, the joke's on them.

 
 
Blue Origin

Blue Origin

New Shepard Survives, Goes Into Retirement

Blue Origin tested its new crew capsule escape system this week using its reusable New Shephard rocket with the capsule on top. Jeff Bezos, Blue Origins' CEO had mentioned in the week before the launch that the rocket was expected to blow up during this test. However, both the rocket and the capsule survived and made it safely back to Earth. Most importantly, the test was a success and if there were passengers inside, they would have survived.

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