Skip To Content
  • bestuk2013 badge

The 24 Best Space Moments Of 2013

A new pale blue dot, a Martian iguana and hearing interstellar space for the first time. It was a very good year indeed.

1. When we learnt that astronauts look a bit like zombies when they sleep in space.

2. When this huge solar flare erupted from the Sun in April.

3. And then this 200,000 mile long "canyon of fire" totally outdid it in October.

4. When the Curiosity rover discovered water on Mars.

5. And also spotted this Martian iguana.

6. When Chris Hadfield showed us that you can't wring out a cloth in space.

7. Or cry, because the tears just stick to your face.

8. Did you do an Easter Egg hunt this year? Because Chris Hadfield set one up for his colleagues. IN SPACE.

9. When William Shatner called the ISS and had a chat with Hadfield.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

And asked him about the future of the US space programme! And becoming one with the universe! And dealing with the fear of going to space!

Hadfield's reply to that last one: "You can't live a worthwhile life without taking risks."

<3

10. Actually just everything Chris Hadfield did while he was on the ISS.

11. When these three tiny satellites were released from a robotic arm on the space station.

12. When Karen Nyberg made sure we never again complained about washing our hair on Earth.

13. And made a quilt square while she was up there.

14. When the UK got its first ever astronaut.

15. When the LADEE spacecraft launched and looked spectacular.

16. And this poor frog got caught in the crossfire.

17. When the Olympic torch went on its first ever spacewalk.

18. When ISS astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins and showed us how they celebrate Thanksgiving.

19. When Voyager 1 left the solar system.*

20. And we heard the sound of interstellar space for the very first time.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

21. When the Cassini spacecraft looked back at Earth and took this photograph of us.

22. And zoomed in to see Earth and the moon together, from 900 million miles away.

23. When Comet ISON got THIS close to the sun.

24. And of course when Chris Hadfield covered "Space Oddity" from space and it was the best thing ever.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

EVER.