In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Space suits
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Blowing in the Wind
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Dancing with the Stars
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Extreme heat
In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Gas giants
In Pictures: Space Photos of the Day: Asteroids
NASA's recently announced Solar Sail demonstration mission will deploy and operate a sail area 7 times larger than ever flown in space with potential applicability to a wide range of future space missions, including use in an advanced space weather warning system to provide more timely and accurate notice of solar flare activity.
This concept of the proposed Neil A. Armstrong Lunar Outpost was produced as part of the George W. Bush era Vision for Space Exploration, which was later put on hold by President Obama in 2010. NASA has since discovered water ice on the moon, which may alter future plans and designs for a moon base.
This image is from an Advance Suit Laboratory Two Wheel Extravehicular Activity Chariot Load Test, taken at Mars Rock Yard. Bill Welch is wearing a Mark III advanced spacesuit, which could be used by future astronauts, though soft space suits may be developed in the future.
NASA artist John J. Olson's conception for the future of space exploration is seen here: A base on Mars.
When humans return to the Moon, their visits will likely extend beyond the week-long trips of Apollo. One possible mission is to establish a lunar observatory with a radio telescope built into the lunar surface. Such an outpost would require efficient and reliable space power systems.
How might a sunrise appear on the most Earth-like planet yet discovered, Gliese 581c? One artistic guess is shown above. The planet's red dwarf star is small and redder than our Sun but one of the orbiting planets has recently been discovered to be in the habitable zone where liquid water could exist on its surface.
This is an artist's concept depicting a possible scene of astronauts walking on Mars during a dust storm. The artwork was part of a NASA new initiatives study which surveyed possible future manned planetary expeditionary activity. Scientists and researchers involved in the study, realizing that a hostile environment will confront long-distance space travelers, note the requirement of highly specialized technologies and systems, e.g., the durable type suits, depicted here, for protection against the dust storm. Paul DiMare/NASA
A lunar crane lifts equipment at a moon base in this concept by NASA artist Pat Rawlings.
The 'once upon a time' science fiction concept of a space elevator has been envisioned and studied as a real mass transportation system. David Smitherman of NASA has compiled plans for such an elevator. The space elevator concept is a structure extending from the surface of the Earth to geostationary Earth orbit at 22,000 miles in altitude. The tower would be approximately 30 miles tall with a cable tethered to the top. Its center mass would be at GEO such that the entire structure orbits the Earth in sync with the Earth's rotation maintaining a stationary position over its base attachment at the equator.
Large assemblies like this theoretical torus-shaped space colony could be put together in space. Here panels of the colony are being fitted in place by small vehicles, called Assembly non-thethered ships or ANTS.
This artists impression shows a terraformed Moon. Terraforming is a hypothetical planetary engineering process wherein the temperature, atmosphere, or ecology of a planet is deliberately modified to be similar to Earth's. Mars is probably the most likely candidate for such a process, but the resources and money required for such a process are so great that it may remain unfeasible or impossible for a long time.
This hypothetical spacecraft with a 'negative energy' induction ring was inspired by recent theories describing how space could be warped with negative energy to produce hyperfast transport to reach distant star systems. In the 1990s, NASA Glenn lead the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project, NASA's primary effort to produce near-term, credible, and measurable progress toward the technology breakthroughs needed to revolutionize space travel and enable interstellar voyages.
The residential area is in the central sphere of this hypothetical torus wheel-shaped space colony. Farming regions are in the 'tires.' Mirrors reflect sunlight into the habitat and farms. The large flat panels radiate away extra heat into space, and panels of solar cells provide electricity.
This is an artist's concept depicting a possible scene of astronauts walking on Mars during a dust storm. The artwork was part of a NASA new initiatives study which surveyed possible future manned planetary expeditionary activity. Scientists and researchers involved in the study, realizing that a hostile environment will confront long-distance space travelers, note the requirement of highly specialized technologies and systems, e.g., the durable type suits, depicted here, for protection against the dust storm.
This 1975 painting by Don Davis depicts the interior view of L-5 Torus Sphere Colony.
A 1969 station concept is seen. The station was to rotate on its central axis to produce artificial gravity. The majority of early space station concepts created artificial gravity one way or another in order to simulate a more natural or familiar environment for the health of the astronauts. After returning micro-gravity environment, astronauts find their muscles weak because they have not been using them.
Ice deposits suggested by the NASA-United States Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's (BMDO) Clementine spacecraft in peretually shadowed craters at the lunar South Pole open new possibilities for human expansion into the Solar System. In this unique location, a solar-powered colony could produce fuel and launch spacecraft from the Moon's one-sixth gravity. Water from potential ice resources or the regolith circulated through the dome's cells could attenuate dangerous radiation. This image produced for NASA by Pat Rawlings, (SAIC). 
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/23
In Pictures: Huge hurricanes
In Pictures: Oh to be young again, Mr. President!
In Pictures: Facing the devastation of the Oklahoma tornadoes
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/22
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/21
In Pictures: Sinkholes around the world
In Pictures: What happened to the green revolution in Iran?
In Pictures: Sandy: Chronicle of an unrelenting storm
An experimental lunar lander called Morpheus toppled over shortly after liftoff Thursday, whereupon it crashed into the ground and exploded in a blazing fireball.
Earlier this week NASA safely landed a robotic rover on Mars about 150 million miles away. But on Thursday here on Earth, a test model planetary lander crashed and burned at Kennedy Space Center in Florida just seconds after liftoff.
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-05-23
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Huge-hurricanes
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Oh-to-be-young-again-Mr.-President
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Facing-the-devastation-of-the-Oklahoma-tornadoes
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-05-22
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-05-21
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Sinkholes-around-the-world
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/What-happened-to-the-green-revolution-in-Iran
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Sandy-Chronicle-of-an-unrelenting-storm
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-05-20
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Weather-extremes-2013
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/A-West-Bank-wall
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Derby-Day-devotees-Kenyan-style
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-05-16
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Dazzle-like-Beckham
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Covert-commerce-smugglers-tunnels-at-the-Egypt-and-Gaza-border
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-05-15
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Duchess-Kate-s-royal-baby-bump
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-05-14
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Keffiyeh-is-rebel-chic
/Photo-Galleries/CSM-Galleries/Election2012/Tea-Parties
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Latin-America-s-fight-against-drugs-and-violence
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-05-13
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Look-up!-The-wonders-of-modern-architecture
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Exclusive!-with-Barbara-Walters
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Space-Photos-of-the-Day/Exploring-Mars-with-Curiosity
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/A-chance-to-pray-at-the-Western-Wall
/Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2013/Photos-of-the-day-05-09
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Making-it-in-Japan
/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Mothers-of-the-world