2013: The Year in Space (52 images)

This undated NASA image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope shows galaxy NGC 4866 in the Virgo constellation, AUGUST 8, 2013. UPI/NASA

This undated NASA image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope shows the centre of galaxy NGC 524. This galaxy is located in the constellation of Pisces, some 90 million light-years from Earth. UPI/NASA

A trio of Expedition 36 flight engineers including NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy (left) and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano (right), are assisted by NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, as they prepare for a "dry run" in the International Space Station's Quest airlock on July 3, 2013. Attired in their Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuits, Cassidy and Parmitano gear up to participate in the first of two sessions of extravehicular (EVA) scheduled for July 9 and July 16, 2013.

This astronaut photograph provides a panoramic view of most of the length of the Red Sea, as of June 22, 2013. The Gulf of Suez, is just visible at the top center of the image and is fully 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) in ground distance from the International Space Station (ISS). The Nile River snakes its way northward through the Sahara Desert on the left. Much closer to the camera, but still more than 550 kilometers (340 miles) from the ISS is a dust plume surging out over the Red Sea and reaching most of the way to Saudi Arabia. The point source of this plume is the delta of the southern Egyptian river Khor Baraka. This dramatic view of the Red Sea shows the generally parallel margins of the opposing coastlines, allowing the viewer to easily visualize how Africa and Arabia were once a single landmass before the Red Sea rift formed. UPI/NASA