ESA astronaut Tim Peake photographed the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft as it undocked from the International Space Station on May 11, 2016. Scheduled to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 2:55 p.m. EDT, the spacecraft will return the final batch of human research samples from former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s historic one-year mission. via NASA http://ift.tt/1XlmJov

NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of the clouds over Canada on May 9, 2016. Entwined within the clouds is the smoke billowing up from the wildfires that are currently burning across a large expanse of the country. via NASA http://ift.tt/1WniUAg

The planet Mercury is seen in silhouette, lower third of image, as it transits across the face of the sun Monday, May 9, 2016, as viewed from Boyertown, Pennsylvania. Mercury passes between Earth and the sun only about 13 times a century, with the previous transit taking place in 2006. via NASA http://ift.tt/1T6P1TE

Shown in this Hubble Space Telescope image, NGC 4394 is the archetypal barred spiral galaxy, with bright spiral arms emerging from the ends of a bar that cuts through the galaxy’s central bulge. These arms are peppered with young blue stars, dark filaments of cosmic dust, and bright, fuzzy regions of active star formation. via NASA http://ift.tt/1rZSvvv

Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., in his silver pressure suit with the helmet visor closed, prepares for his Mercury Redstone 3 launch on May 5, 1961. Shepard’s Freedom 7 Mercury capsule lifted off at 9:34 a.m. and flew a suborbital trajectory lasting 15 minutes and 22 seconds. He became the first American to fly into space. via NASA http://ift.tt/24ukJja

The Nili Fossae region, located on the northwest rim of Isidis impact basin, is one of the most colorful regions of Mars. This region is ancient and has had a complicated geologic history, leading to interesting structures like layered bedrock, as well as other compositions. via NASA http://ift.tt/1W7TdTm

Expedition 47 Flight Engineer Jeff Williams of NASA captured this detailed photograph from the International Space Station during a daytime flyover of Morocco on May 2, 2016. Williams shared the image to social media and asked, “Reptile scales, or incredible and rugged geology in Morocco?” via NASA http://ift.tt/1SWtCto

The water-world Enceladus appears here to sit atop Saturn’s rings like a drop of dew upon a leaf. Even though it appears like a tiny drop before the might of the giant Saturn, Enceladus reminds us that even small worlds hold mysteries and wonders to be explored. via NASA http://ift.tt/1SGdNb7

Inside the clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the golden James Webb Space Telescope is viewed from overhead with its secondary mirror booms stowed. In the next few months, engineers will install other key elements, and take additional measurements to ensure the telescope is ready for space. via NASA http://ift.tt/1O0fSJy

The Orion spacecraft crew module for Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) is lifted into a test stand for pressure testing in the Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The work is an important milestone on Orion’s journey toward EM-1, its mission beyond the moon atop the Space Launch System rocket in 2018. via NASA http://ift.tt/1NX1IZI