On Thursday, the crew of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn made history by becoming the first civilians to spacewalk, as part of the first-ever private spacewalk.
But while it was a huge moment in the world of private space travel, that sector still has a ways to go. Soviet Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov first walked in space in 1965, and American Ed White followed suit not long after.
Check out a photo of the Polaris Dawn launch, and much more in this collection of fascinating photos.
1
This photograph taken by Julie-Anne O'Neill in Queensland, Australia shows the struggle for survival in the forest.
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"The way the ice forms under this pier."
3
Predjama Castle in Slovenia has stood on a 123-meter cliff for over 800 years, and it is the largest cave castle in the world.
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in the world, born on December 16, 1900.
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Artist employs a unique technique known as pyrography, where fire is used as a medium to create intricate and expressive paintings.
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The owner of this house in China refused to move for development, so a road was built around it. These are known as 'nail houses.'
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In 1970, a gay man discovered a loophole in Minnesota law that said gay marriage wasn't explicitly illegal as long as officials allowed it. He then changed his name legally from 'Jack' to 'Pat Lyn' and fooled officials into thinking he was a woman thereby successfully getting a marriage license.
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A spider’s web in the rain.
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This is Lucy Higgs Nichols, who escaped slavery and became a Civil War nurse.
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The winter flounder fish can change color based on its surroundings.
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Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, pilot of the Gemini 12 spaceflight, performs extravehicular activity while standing during the first day of a 4-day mission in space. November, 1966.
12
“Lego sent me a letter along with my missing part.”
13
Man discovers a 900-year-old stone carving beneath his house in Germany. The rare picture stone may depict Otto of Bamberg, the bishop who helped spread Christianity throughout the region.
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The car that Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were in when they were assassinated in 1914.
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Sign in the Outback where any help, even by air, can be hours and hours away.
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Smoke on the horizon from the California wildfires.
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"Stumbling blocks" in front of countless front doors across Germany; a reminder of those who once lived there and were victims of the holocaust.
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A million Starlings performing the murmuration, a natural spectacle.
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A full-sized replica of an 18th-century ship sailing down the River Thames in London during a tour of Europe.
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The Canadian diplomat signed on the wrong place on the Japanese Instrument of Surrender at the end of WW2, so everyone else had to go along with it.
21
The Polaris Dawn launch over the capitol.
