March Gallery

Tokamak-15 fusion research reactor, Kurchatov Inst

Nuclear fusion research. View of Tokamak 15, a nuclear fusion research reactor. The ring-shaped tokamak design (also known as a torus) is most favoured by nuclear fusion researchers. The ring contains a plasma, a mixture of deuterium and tritium at a temperature of up to 100 million Celsius. To keep the plasma confined and away from the walls of the tokamak, very powerful magnets enclose the reactor vessel. At sufficiently high temperatures, the deuterium and tritium nuclei fuse, generating helium and energetic neutrons. It is these neutrons which carry energy out of the reactor. Photographed at the Kurchatov Institute, Moscow

© RIA NOVOSTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Mir space station in orbit seen from Soyuz

Peace in orbit. The Russian space station Mir ('peace'), seen floating in orbit above the Earth. As is common practice with the space station, there is already a Soyuz craft from the preceeding launch docked with Mir (closest to camera). The Soyuz from which this photograph was taken will dock at the far end of the space station. Mir was launched into orbit on 20 February 1986 by a Proton rocket. The first occupants, Leonid Kizim and Vladimir Solovyev, arrived on 13 March 1986, staying for 125 days. Since then, Mir has served as home for the current duration record holders (Vladimir Titov & Musa Manarov, 365 days 22hrs), and other visitors, including Helen Sharman (UK)

© RIA NOVOSTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Artists impression of asteroid super impact

Artist's impression of a super-impact'. A very large asteroid, about 800km in diameter, strikes the Earth. The energy of the impact, equivalent to about 5 trillion nuclear bombs, would be enough to vaporise the oceans and melt the Earth's crust. Studies of lunar impact patterns have indicated subsequent smaller impacts on Earth. These would have killed any life-forms near the surface, where life is thought to have originated, but not any bacteria which had migrated to the bottom of the oceans. It is suggested, therefore, that deep-sea bacteria are the true ancestors of life on Earth. An impact of the size seen here would have destroyed all life - sterilising Earth

© NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY