THE MOST AMAZING SCIENCE IMAGES OF THE WEEK XI

The Most Amazing Images Of The Week, August 20-24, 2012
By Colin Lecher, Popular Science, 24 August 2012.

There's some history in this week's roundup of stunning images. For one, we have a photo of the Nevada atomic bomb tests from the '50s, taken from the Las Vegas strip. Alongside that we have what you see above: a nuclear power station still in use today. We're also featuring a Syrian rebel with a machine gun and cell phone, a psychedelic art project with water balloons and bald men, DIY lava, and more. Check out the gallery to see them all.

1. Las Vegas, 1953

We've seen the iconic photo near the atomic bomb testing site in the Nevada desert, but in that context you wouldn't know it was a mere 65 miles outside of Vegas. This photo, from The University of Nevada, Las Vegas and promoted by Retronaut, gives the bomb that rocked the world a much different frame.

2. Russian Cosmonauts

This disorienting shot shows two Russian cosmonauts outside the International Space Station. They spent almost six hours on a spacewalk this week, outfitting the station with new parts.

3. Texting Rebel

Pulitzer Prize winner (and Popular Science contributor) C.J. Chivers took this surprising photo of a Syrian rebel toting a cell phone alongside a machine gun - perfectly summing up the importance of tech in today's rebellions.

4. Compressed Air Car

They said it couldn't be done, yet lo and behold: a car that looks like a scrunched SmartCar. Just introduced by India's Tata Motors, it's called the AirPod, and it impressively runs only on compressed air. Vehicles like this have been in development for a while, but the makers say this one will be available soon for $10,000.

5. Nuclear Plant

Hollywood imaginings of nuclear sites, it turns out, are actually pretty close to the real thing. This rare photo was snapped by Reuters photographer Ruben Sprich during a yearly inspection of the Muehleberg nuclear power station in Switzerland. The cosmic blue glow is a result of Cherenkov radiation, an electromagnetic radiation seen in reactors.

6. Water Wigs

One photo in a series called "Water Wigs" from photographer Tim Tadder, in which bald men bathed in colour are hit over the head with water balloons. The results are silly, psychedelic, and beautiful.

7. Sea Chair

The U.K artists of Studio Swine have come up with a unique idea for chipping away at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch: scooping up bits of plastic and transforming them into furniture like this chair. Read more about it here.

8. DIY Lava

Syracuse University is offering an unlikely course: the Syracuse University Lava Project. It sounds incredible - basically a crash course in creating your own lava. Check it out here.

9. Firefighting Tanker

While the Taylor Creek Fire outside Cle Elum, Washington raged, freelance photographer Robert Sorbo snapped this image of a fire-fighting tanker plane dropping fire retardant on homes. Visit American Photo for more great photojournalism like this.

10. Hydrogen Train

Students and staff from the University of Birmingham built this, the first hydrogen-powered locomotive in the U.K. Not only does it look fun, it even operates via Wi-Fi.

[Source: Popular Science. Edited. Top image added.]