Best Space Photos of the Week - Jan. 17, 2015

Full RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly) Event

Elon Musk Twitter

From a rocket crash to the discovery of a long-lost Mars lander, don't miss these amazing space images of the week for Jan. 17, 2015. Here, the first stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket exploded as it attempted to land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean during a reusability test on Jan. 10, 2015. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk unveiled the images this week. [Read the Full Story]

Click through this gallery to see more amazing space photos from the week.

NEOWISE Sees Comet Lovejoy C/2014 Q2

NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's NEOWISE spacecraft spotted Comet Lovejoy in November 2013. The image was released on Jan. 13, 2015.

Beagle 2 on Mars in Color

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona/University of Leicester

This image shows Europe's long-lost Beagle 2 lander on the surface of Mars. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this picture of the Red Planet from its orbit. Earth lost contact with the lander before it ever reached the surface of the planet in 20013. [Read the Full Story]

Comet Lovejoy Photograph by Howes

Nick Howes

Comet Lovejoy shines in this amazing photo taken by astronomer Nick Howes using the Tzec Maun Network on Jan. 8, 2015. [Read the Full Story]

First Solar Flare of 2015

NASA/SDO

The sun shot of its first significant solar flare of 2015 on Jan. 12. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory managed to capture this great view of the solar storm. [Read the Full Story]

New Impact Crater in Elysium Planitia

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped an amazing shot of a relatively new impact crater formed on the Red Planet's surface in the last few years. [Read the Full Story]

M101 Spiral Seen by Chang'e Moon Lander

NAOC & International Lunar Observatory Association; University of Hawaii Hilo; Canada France Hawaii Telescope.

China's lunar lander Chang'e 3 captured a new image of the Pinwheel Galaxy from the probe's spot on the lunar surface. [Read the Full Story]

Record-Breaking Outburst from Milky Way's Black Hole

NASA/CXC/Amherst College/D.Haggard et al

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory captured this image of the brightest flare ever seen near the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way. [Read the Full Story]

Supernova in Superwind Galaxy Justin Ng

Justin Ng

A supernova shines in the Superwind Galaxy on Jan. 2. [Read the Full Story]

Opportunity Mars Rover at Summit of 'Cape Tribulation'

NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's long-lived rover Opportunity took an amazing panoramic image of the Red Planet from the Endeavour Crater's rim. [Read the Full Story]

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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.