Best Space Photos of the Week - Feb. 11, 2012

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Student Launches MIT Acceptance Letter to Near Space

Erin King

Seventeen-year-old Erin King of Georgia sent a tube containing her MIT acceptance letter on a high-flying balloon ride to near-space. The canister, which was equipped with tracking devices and an onboard camera, reached a maximum altitude of approximately 17.2 miles (27.7 kilometers) before falling back to Earth. [Full story and video]

The Rio Grande

Armadillo Aerospace

View of the Rio Grande River valley from 239,000 ft (~50 mi) aboard Armadillo Aerospace’s STIG-A 3 rocket launched from Spaceport America, taken January 28, 2012. [Full story and more photos]

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Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
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Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.