A U.S. Marine helicopter recovery team hoists astronaut Alan Shepard from his Mercury spacecraft after a successful flight and splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. via NASA https://ift.tt/3toduXY

When the the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977, it featured the now-iconic two-sun, “circumbinary” planet Tatooine. via NASA https://ift.tt/2PMdV0y

On May 5, 1961, NASA astronaut Alan Shepard piloted his Freedom 7 Mercury capsule in a 15-minute suborbital flight, becoming America’s first astronaut. In this image, he is shown being hoisted aboard a U.S. Marine helicopter after splashdown. The flight carried him to an altitude of 116 statute miles. via NASA https://ift.tt/2QJdhla

The interaction of two doomed stars has created this spectacular ring adorned with bright clumps of gas ­– a diamond necklace of cosmic proportions. via NASA https://ift.tt/3aO9Hwz

After its journey from NASA’s Stennis Space Center aboard the Pegasus barge, the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center on April 27, 2021. via NASA https://ift.tt/3vuBBpv

Astronauts on the space station recently enjoyed a fresh supply of leafy greens, thanks in large part to the efforts of astronaut Michael Hopkins. via NASA https://ift.tt/32VaAiD

This image from April 24, 2021, shows the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour as it approached the International Space Station. via NASA https://ift.tt/3nn59CE

Scientists have found fragments of titanium blasting out of a famous supernova. via NASA https://ift.tt/3sUJov3

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft is seen to the right of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington as it is launches the Crew-2 mission. via NASA https://ift.tt/3sL5GPU

​Sunset at Gobabeb, Namibia. via NASA https://ift.tt/3varupx