Sadie Babits

Kristen Johnson, also known as Lady Houdini, goes far beyond the role women usually play in escape acts. "It was important for me to be a strong example for young women in particular," she says.

A massive wildfire is continuing to burn near the resort towns of Ketchum and Sun Valley in Idaho. While some evacuees have been allowed to return to their homes, the fire could burn until the first snows come this fall.

In London, two women cyclists who train in Idaho plan to vie for medals — in very different events. Kristin Armstrong races the clock in a skinsuit in the time trial, while mountain biker Georgia Gould combines speed with technical prowess to navigate rocky descents and dirt trails.

Throughout November, hundreds of people are lining up to peer through the telescope at Lowell Observatory in northern Arizona. What they'll see: Mars in close opposition with the Earth. This is the nearest the red planet has been to Earth since 2003. If you miss it this month, you'll have to wait until 2018 for such an incredible view. Sadie Babits has this postcard from the observatory.