Images Dated 13th April 2005

Old vines on stony pebbly soil and with supporting poles after winter pruning but

Old vines on stony pebbly soil and with supporting poles after winter pruning but before leaves start growing. The Hermitage vineyards on the hill behind the city Tain-la?Hermitage, Drome, France

© Per Karlsson / Danita Delimont

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Computer art of debris in orbit around the earth

Space junk. Computer artwork showing the Earth and scattered debris (white dots) in orbit around it. Some 22, 000 man-made objects of different size and shape are in orbit around the Earth. Only a small fraction represent satellites which are presently in operation; the remainder could be categorised as used rocket bodies, dead payloads, operational debris (such as optics covers and payload attachment hardware) and the consequence of 30 years of payload, rocket and satellite fragmentation. This space junk is a hazard for future space missions due to the increasing probability of it impacting on newly launched satellites or spacecrafts

© MEHAU KULYK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

F117a Nighthawk stealth fighter

F117a Nighthawk, stealth fighter. Computer artwork of the United States Air Force Nighthawk, a tactical bomber which uses stealth technology to make it almost invisible to radar. It uses specially designed paint and angular lines to deflect radar, enabling it to deliver payloads undetected. Although officially designated as a fighter plane, it is unlikely that it has air-to- air capabilities. It becomes visible when wet or when opening its bomb doors. Its unorthodox aerodynamics also make it unstable at low speeds. Later generations of stealth craft used different technologies to enable them to have more curved surfaces

© VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY