This week's picture is from a series of unique pictures from the Flight International spaceflight archive, which goes back to the very beginning of the space age.

Are you able to tell us the event pictured below? What is the mission? Tell us your thoughts and send us your own amusing caption by emailing Kelley Malcher, Flight's webmaster.  Answers and winning caption will be published next week. Please supply a physical location in your message.

 

  
  Space flight picture of the week

Spaceflight pic 29 jun 07

  
  LAST WEEK'S IMAGE

spaceflight pic 15 jun 07

"The instructions say girder A goes into solar panel array C but the command module is in the way. I told you that went on last and why do we have left over washers? We will never get this done by Christmas morning.."
Eric George, US
 

Thanks to all of the readers who suggested an explanation.

The image above shows the construction of a Boeing concept thermal engine power satellite in low Earth orbit. The dome-like structure in the centre of the photograph is a partially completed thermal cavity - a solar furnace into which the Sun's rays would be focused. The large flat structures being constructed around the cavity are radiators through which gases, used by the cavity's generators, would be cooled. After construction the satellite would be moved to geosynchronous orbit.

Source: Flight International

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