The radio telescope in Parkes, Australia is used by SETI researchers to search for potentially alien radio transmissions. TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
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A golden record is attached to a Voyager space probe launched in 1977. It contains a selection of recordings of life and culture on Earth and was place on their in case the probe went beyond the solar system, which it has. Space Frontiers/Getty Images hide caption
Astronomical text books in Latin are displayed at the Vatican Observatory. Sylvia Poggioli/NPR hide caption
The Vatican's Space Observatory Wants To See Stars And Faith Align
Scientists believe some heavy elements are forged when a massive star goes through its death throes and explodes as a supernova. Here, Kepler's supernova remnant was captured in a NASA image. NASA/ESA/Johns Hopkins University/NASA hide caption
Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, with President Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper during a ceremony to establish the U.S. Space Command last summer. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption
Vice President Pence (right) swears in Air Force Gen. John Raymond as Chief of Space Operations on Tuesday. Steve Helber/AP hide caption
A NASA illustration depicts the positions of both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes, now outside the heliosphere. Voyager 1 left the heliosphere in August 2012, while Voyager 2 left at a different location last month. NASA/JPL-Caltech hide caption
An artist's rendering shows the Milky Way where a supermassive black hole lies at the center. A dozen smaller black holes have now been detected, and a new study suggests the monster is surrounded by about 10,000. Spitzer Space Telescope/NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech) hide caption
Norishige Kanai prior the launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket in Kazakhstan on Dec. 17. As is the norm, the Japanese astronaut grew in outer space, just not by as much as he initially thought. Dmitri Lovetsky/AP hide caption