Atmospheric Entry Simulator at Ames
The Atmospheric Entry Simulator at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California. Visible in the foreground is a large tank containing air under high pressure. In the middle ground directly behind it... More
Pioneer I on the Launch Pad. NASA public domain image colelction.
Thor-Able I with the Pioneer I spacecraft atop, prior to launch at Eastern Test Range at what is now Kennedy Space Center. Pioneer I launched on October 11, 1958, the first spacecraft launched by the 11 day o... More
The Asteroid Belt. NASA public domain image colelction.
Asteroids are material left over from the formation of the solar system. One theory suggests that they are the remains of a planet that was destroyed in a massive collision long ago. More likely, asteroids are ... More
Mariner 4's Flyby. NASA public domain image colelction.
This diagram shows the flyby route of NASA's Mariner 4 and the locations of the 22 images taken. *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-567
Viking Checkup. NASA public domain image colelction.
A technician checks the soil sampler on an earlier generation of Mars lander - Viking - in this 1971 photo. Viking 1 became the first spacecraft to land safely on Mars on July 20, 1976. The robotic arm scooped... More
Anniversary Rings. NASA public domain image colelction.
Until the discovery of Uranus' rings 25 years ago, astronomers believed Saturn was the only ringed planet. It is now known that all four of our Solar System's gas giants have rings. NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-136
Radar View of Titan. NASA public domain image colelction.
Saturn's moon Titan shows a sharp contrast between its smooth and rough edges in a new false-color radar image. To provide a better perspective of the surface features, the color image is shown alongside a bla... More
Sedna's Orbit. NASA orbital flight public domain image.
These four panels show the location of the newly discovered planet-like object, dubbed "Sedna," which lies in the farthest reaches of our Solar System. Each panel, moving counterclockwise from the upper left, ... More
Neptune. NASA public domain image colelction.
This picture of Neptune was produced from the last whole planet images taken through the green and orange filters on the Voyager 2 narrow angle camera. The images were taken at a range of 4.4 million miles from... More
Dr. Robert Goddard, NASA history collection
The Goddard Space Flight Center was named in honor of Dr. Robert Goddard, a pioneer in rocket development. Dr. Goddard received patents for a multi-stage rocket and liquid propellants in 1914 and published a ... More
Space Shuttle Discovery: Moon Framed
Earth and its Moon are nicely framed in this image taken from the aft windows of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998. Discovery - on mission STS-95 - was flying over the Atlantic Ocean at the time this image wa... More
Mariner Crater on Mars. NASA public domain image colelction.
Mariner 4 image of the crater named after it, the 151 km diameter Mariner crater at 35 S, 164 W. Running from the lower left corner of the frame through the bottom of the crater is a linear ridge which is part... More
Asteroid Gaspra. NASA public domain image colelction.
This picture of asteroid 951 Gaspra is a mosaic of two images taken by the Galileo spacecraft from a range of 5300 kilometers, some 10 minutes before closest approach on October 29, 1991. The Sun is shining fro... More
First to Saturn. NASA public domain image colelction.
An artist's view of a Pioneer spacecraft heading into interstellar space. Both Pioneer 10 and 11 are on trajectories that will eventually take them out of our solar system. Pioneer 11 sent its last signal in N... More
President Truman and Webb. NASA public domain image colelction.
Former President Harry S. Truman visits the newly-opened NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. Accompanied by former NASA Administrator James E. Webb, he was presented with a collection of rocket models for his ... More
Shuttle Destruction. NASA public domain image colelction.
Hurtling out of the conflagration at 78 seconds are the Challenger's left wing, main engines (still burning residual propellant) and the forward fuselage (crew cabin). *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: SP... More
Handle on the Sun. NASA public domain image colelction.
Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence taken on Sept. 14,1999. Taken in the 304 angstrom wavelength, prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma su... More
Sedna's Orbit. NASA orbital flight public domain image.
These four panels show the location of the newly discovered planet-like object, dubbed "Sedna," which lies in the farthest reaches of our Solar System. Each panel, moving counterclockwise from the upper left, ... More
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA public domain image colelction.
An artist's impression of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter above the Red Planet. *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-262
The Earth-Moon System. NASA public domain image colelction.
Eight days after its final encounter with the Earth, the Galileo spacecraft looked back and captured this remarkable view of the Earth and Moon. The image was taken from a distance of about 6.2 million kilomete... More
Icy Comet NEAT. NASA public domain image colelction.
This image of Comet C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) was taken at the WIYN 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, AZ, on May 7, 2004. The image was taken with the Mosaic I camera, which has a one-s... More
Zooming in on Enceladus - Mosaic
As it swooped past the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus on July 14, 2005 , Cassini acquired high resolution views of this puzzling ice world. From afar, Enceladus exhibits a bizarre mixture of softened cra... More
Space Pioneer Nancy Roman. NASA public domain image colelction.
Dr. Nancy Roman, one of the nations top scientists in the space program, is shown with a model of the Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO). Roman received her PhD in astronomy from the University of Chicago in 194... More
Lunar Orbiter I Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.
Liftoff of Lunar Orbiter I. *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-1775
Sharper Vision. NASA public domain image colelction.
The power of the Keck telescope's adaptive optics system is clear in this image of Uranus, its rings and the moon Miranda. The two sets of exposures compare Keck AO system off (left) to Keck AO system on (right... More
Vanguard Explosion. NASA public domain image colelction.
Test of Vanguard launch vehicle for U.S. International Geophysical Year (IGY) program to place satellite in Earth orbit to determine atmospheric density and conduct geodetic measurements. Malfunction in first s... More
Aerial View of Columbia Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.
Aerial view of the STS-2 Columbia launch from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, taken by astronaut John Young aboard NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA). *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: S... More
Parachute Test. NASA public domain image colelction.
A parachute for the Galileo spacecraft's atmospheric entry probe is tested in a wind tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia. Galileo consisted of an orbiter and an atmosphere probe that descended ... More
Neptune. NASA public domain image colelction.
This picture of Neptune was produced from the last whole planet images taken through the green and orange filters on the Voyager 2 narrow angle camera. The images were taken at a range of 4.4 million miles from... More
COBE's View of the Milky Way. NASA public domain image colelction.
From its orbit around Earth, the Goddard Space Flight Center's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) captured this edge-on view of our Milky Way galaxy in infrared light, a form of radiation that humans cannot see ... More
First to Saturn. NASA public domain image colelction.
An artist's view of a Pioneer spacecraft heading into interstellar space. Both Pioneer 10 and 11 are on trajectories that will eventually take them out of our solar system. Pioneer 11 sent its last signal in N... More
Radar View of Titan. NASA public domain image colelction.
Saturn's moon Titan shows a sharp contrast between its smooth and rough edges in a new false-color radar image. To provide a better perspective of the surface features, the color image is shown alongside a bla... More
Sputnik 1, Soviet Space Program
The Sputnik 1 (PS-1) satellite is shown here on a rigging truck in the assembly shop in the fall of 1957 as a technician puts finishing touches on it. When the development of the first advanced scientific sate... More
Kennedy Giving Historic Speech to Congress
President John F. Kennedy in his historic message to a joint session of the Congress, on May 25, 1961 declared, "...I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, o... More
The Surface of Venus from the Venera 10 Lander
Venera 10 Lander image of the surface of Venus at about 16 N, 291 E. The Lander touched down at 5:17 UT on 25 October 1975 and returned this image during the 65 minutes of operation on the surface. The sun wa... More
The Other Side of Iapetus. NASA public domain image colelction.
Cassini captures the first high-resolution glimpse of the bright trailing hemisphere of Saturn's moon Iapetus. This false-color mosaic shows the entire hemisphere of Iapetus (1,468 kilometers, or 912 miles ac... More
The Eagle has Landed. NASA public domain image colelction.
This is one in a series of remarkable photos documenting the daily lives of two of Kennedy Space Center's most famous residents: The Southern Bald Eagles which inhabit an enormous nest on the Kennedy Parkway No... More
Perseid Meteor Composite Over Lake Erie
The 2010 Perseid meteor shower is fully underway! This composite image shows the same Perseid meteor streaking over Lake Erie, seen from six different observing stations. The University of Western Ontario opera... More
Pioneering Venus. NASA public domain image colelction.
An ultraviolet image of Venus' clouds as seen by the Pioneer Venus orbiter in 1979. Pioneer Venus used an orbiter and several small probes to study the planet from above and within the clouds. This image is f... More
The Desert Surface of Venus. NASA public domain image colelction.
Venera 13 Lander image of the surface of Venus at 7.5 S, 303. E, east of Phoebe Regio. Venera 13 survived on the surface for 2 hours, 7 minutes, long enough to obtain 14 images on 1 March, 1982. This color ... More
Handle on the Sun. NASA public domain image colelction.
Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence taken on Sept. 14,1999. Taken in the 304 angstrom wavelength, prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma su... More
Giotto Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.
Europe's comet interceptor Giotto was launched in July 1985 on an Ariane 1 rocket from Korou, French Guiana. Giotto was the European Space Agency's first deep space mission. *Image Credit*: European Space Age... More
Truman Receives Rocket Models. NASA public domain image colelction.
On November 3, 1961 former President Harry S. Truman visited the newly opened NASA Headquarters, Washington D.C. Accompanied by former NASA Administrator James E. Webb, he was presented with a collection of roc... More
Saturn's Active North Pole. NASA public domain image colelction.
A bizarre six-sided feature encircling the north pole of Saturn near 78 degrees north latitude has been spied by the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer on NASA's Cassini spacecraft. This image is one of t... More
Galileo Arrives at Jupiter. NASA public domain image colelction.
This artist's rendering shows the Galileo orbiter arriving at Jupiter on Dec. 7, 1995. A few hours before arrival, the orbiter will have fllew within about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) of Jupiter's moon lo, sho... More
Astronomers View Comet Impact with Jupiter
Astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute huddle around monitors to get a glimpse of images from fragment A of comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9's collision with Jupiter in July 1994. *Image Credit*: NASA, ... More
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA public domain image colelction.
An artist's impression of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter above the Red Planet. *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-262
The Moon from Galileo's Perspective
During its flight, the Galileo spacecraft returned images of the Moon. The Galileo spacecraft took these images on December 7, 1992 on its way to explore the Jupiter system in 1995-97. The distinct bright ray c... More
Ulysses Preparations. NASA public domain image colelction.
Technicians in Hangar AO on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station continue preflight checkout and testing of the Ulysses spacecraft. Ulysses is a NASA/European Space Agency project launched from the Space Shuttle (M... More
Red Planet. NASA public domain image colelction.
This is the first color image of Mars taken by the panoramic camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. It is the highest resolution image ever taken on the surface of another planet. A high-resolution TIFF ... More
Io South Pole Grid. NASA public domain image colelction.
Io South Pole Grid NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-4883 Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Meteor Outburst. NASA public domain image colelction.
This picture is of the Alpha-Monocerotid meteor outburst in 1995. The Perseid meteor shower, usually the best meteor shower of the year, peaks in August. Over the course of an hour, a person watching a clear sk... More
Ion Beam. NASA public domain image colelction.
This small ion rocket is being tested inside a vacuum test facility. The test was being monitored by a small camera lens inside the test chamber. Ion rockets are an idea that has existed since the 1950s. They ... More
Saturn's Active North Pole. NASA public domain image colelction.
A bizarre six-sided feature encircling the north pole of Saturn near 78 degrees north latitude has been spied by the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer on NASA's Cassini spacecraft. This image is one of t... More
Moon - False Color Mosaic. NASA public domain image colelction.
This false-color photograph is a composite of 15 images of the Moon taken through three color filters by Galileo's solid-state imaging system during the spacecraft's passage through the Earth-Moon system on Dec... More
Galileo Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis - carrying the Galileo spacecraft - soars above Florida on Oct. 18, 1989. The scene was recorded with a 70mm camera by astronaut Daniel Brandenstein. *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Ident... More
Magellan Preparations. NASA public domain image colelction.
The Magellan spacecraft with its attached Inertial Upper Stage booster is in the orbiter Atlantis payload bay prior to closure of the doors at T-3 days to launch from pad 39B. Launch of Magellan and Space Shu... More
Io North Pole Grid. NASA public domain image colelction.
Io North Pole Grid NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-4903 Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
NASA's First Headquarters. NASA public domain image colelction.
The Little White House at 1520 H Street, NW, in Washington, DC served as NASA Headquarters from 1958 until October 1961. Built in 1820 by Richard Cutts, in 1837 it became the home of Mrs. Dolly Payne Madison, ... More
Io South Pole Grid. NASA public domain image colelction.
Io South Pole Grid NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-4883 Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Saturn's C-Ring. NASA public domain image colelction.
This Voyager 2 view, focusing on Saturn's C-ring (and to a lesser extent, the B-ring at top and left) was compiled from three separate images taken through ultraviolet, clear and green filters. When it acquire... More
Sharper Vision. NASA public domain image colelction.
The power of the Keck telescope's adaptive optics system is clear in this image of Uranus, its rings and the moon Miranda. The two sets of exposures compare Keck AO system off (left) to Keck AO system on (right... More
Deep Space Network. NASA public domain image colelction.
The NASA Deep Space Network - or DSN - is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system... More
Jupiter's Moon Callisto. NASA public domain image colelction.
Voyager 1 image of Jupiter's moon Callisto from a distance of 350,000 km. Callisto is about 4,800 km in diameter (about the size of Mercury). Features as small as 7 km across can be seen in this image. The la... More
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Preparations
Fully assembled, checked out and fueled for flight, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is ready for encapsulation in its protective payload fairing. Note the protective thermal blankets encasing th... More
Mars Express. NASA public domain image colelction.
The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft is depicted in orbit around Mars in this artist's illustration. The spacecraft was launched June 2, 2003, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan and entered Mars orbit i... More
Kitty Joyner - Electrical Engineer
Kitty Joyner, electrical engineer, at Langley in 1952. *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-1777
H. Julian Allen with Blunt Body Theory
H. Julian Allen is best known for his "Blunt Body Theory" of aerodynamics, a design technique for alleviating the severe re-entry heating problem which was then delaying the development of ballistic missiles. H... More
Kathryn Sullivan. NASA public domain image colelction.
An unofficial sustained American aviation altitude record for women was set July 1, 1979, by astronaut candidate Kathryn D. Sullivan in a NASA WB-57F reconnaissance aircraft. The record altitude of 63,300 feet... More
Pioneering Venus. NASA public domain image colelction.
An ultraviolet image of Venus' clouds as seen by the Pioneer Venus orbiter in 1979. Pioneer Venus used an orbiter and several small probes to study the planet from above and within the clouds. This image is f... More
Artist's Concept of Mars Odyssey Aerobraking
Artist's concept of Mars Odyssey orbit insertion. *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-2190
First Far Side Photo. NASA public domain image colelction.
Russia's Luna 3 spacecraft returned the first views ever of the far side of the Moon. The first image was taken at 03:30 UT on 7 October at a distance of 63,500 km after Luna 3 had passed the Moon and looked ba... More
Volcano Southeast of Phoebe Regio,Venus with Emissivity Data
Magellan press release image showing radio-thermal emission (emissivity). Red represents high emissivity and blue low. The image is centered at 12.5S,261E, southeast of Phoebe Regio, Venus and is 587 km on a ... More
Aerial View of Columbia Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.
Aerial view of the STS-2 Columbia launch from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, taken by astronaut John Young aboard NASA's Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA). *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: S... More
Dr. Joseph Ames, NASA history collection
Dr. Joseph Sweetman Ames at his desk at the NACA headquarters. Dr. Ames was a founding member of NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), appointed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ames took on... More
Cassini Celebration. NASA public domain image colelction.
Dr. Charles Elachi (left), director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Dr. Bob Mitchell (right), Cassini mission manager, celebrate the news that the orbiter arrived safely in Saturn orbit at 04:12 UTC on Ju... More
Space Shuttle Discovery: Moon Framed
Earth and its Moon are nicely framed in this image taken from the aft windows of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998. Discovery - on mission STS-95 - was flying over the Atlantic Ocean at the time this image wa... More
Mariner 4's Flyby. NASA public domain image colelction.
This diagram shows the flyby route of NASA's Mariner 4 and the locations of the 22 images taken. *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-567
NASA Celebrates its 25th Anniversary
President Ronald Reagan addressed NASA employees during NASA's 25th Anniversary celebration at the National Air and Space Museum, October 19, 1983. On stage, around the cake (left to right) are: astronauts Gu... More
Meteor Outburst. NASA public domain image colelction.
This picture is of the Alpha-Monocerotid meteor outburst in 1995. The Perseid meteor shower, usually the best meteor shower of the year, peaks in August. Over the course of an hour, a person watching a clear sk... More
Project Red Socks. NASA public domain image colelction.
Project RED SOCKS was to be "the world's first useful moon rocket," proposed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology in October 1957. These artist's renditions show the configuration... More
LBJ's Mariner Photos. NASA public domain image colelction.
Dr. William H. Pickering (left), Directory of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, presents Mariner spacecraft photos to President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1964. *Image Credit*: NASA NASA Identifier: SPD-SLRSY-102
Galileo Probe Descent. NASA public domain image colelction.
An artist's impression of the Galileo probe descending into Jupiter's atmosphere. The probe wasthe first to sample the atmosphere of a gas planet. It measured temperature, pressure, chemical composition, cloud... More
Comet C/2002 T7 LINEAR. NASA public domain image colelction.
Image of Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) showing a pronounced nucleus and a section of the tenuous tail extending over about 2 million kilometers. It was obtained by the OSIRIS camera on board Rosetta in blue light fr... More
Comet C/2002 T7 LINEAR. NASA public domain image colelction.
Image of Comet C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) showing a pronounced nucleus and a section of the tenuous tail extending over about 2 million kilometers. It was obtained by the OSIRIS camera on board Rosetta in blue light fr... More
Giotto Launch. NASA public domain image colelction.
Europe's comet interceptor Giotto was launched in July 1985 on an Ariane 1 rocket from Korou, French Guiana. Giotto was the European Space Agency's first deep space mission. *Image Credit*: European Space Age... More
Above Spirit. NASA public domain image colelction.
A mosaic image taken by Spirit's navigation camera shows the Mars Exploration Rover sitting on its landing platform only hours after touching down on Gusev Crater. The image has been reprocessed to imove the vi... More
Ion Jet at Hypersonic Flight Display
Ion Jet at Hypersonic Flight Display. The ion rocket provides very low thrust at great efficiency. First developed in the 1950s, it was later used by the Soviet Union, and American commercial spacecraft, and wa... More
The Earth-Moon System. NASA public domain image colelction.
Eight days after its final encounter with the Earth, the Galileo spacecraft looked back and captured this remarkable view of the Earth and Moon. The image was taken from a distance of about 6.2 million kilomete... More
Saturn's C-Ring. NASA public domain image colelction.
This Voyager 2 view, focusing on Saturn's C-ring (and to a lesser extent, the B-ring at top and left) was compiled from three separate images taken through ultraviolet, clear and green filters. When it acquire... More
The Moon from Galileo's Perspective
During its flight, the Galileo spacecraft returned images of the Moon. The Galileo spacecraft took these images on December 7, 1992 on its way to explore the Jupiter system in 1995-97. The distinct bright ray c... More
10,000 Galaxies. NASA public domain image colelction.
Galaxies, galaxies everywhere - as far as NASA's Hubble Space Telescope can see. This view of nearly 10,000 galaxies is the deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. Called the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, this ga... More
An Asteroid's Sky Trek. NASA public domain image colelction.
While analyzing NASA Hubble Space Telescope images of the Sagittarius dwarf irregular galaxy (SagDIG), an international team of astronomers led by Simone Marchi, Yazan Momany, and Luigi Bedin were surprised to ... More
Space Shuttle Discovery: Aurora Australis
The crew of STS-85 used a 35mm camera with a time exposure to record this image of the southern lights or Aurora Australis. The vertical stabilizer of the Space Shuttle Discovery appears in the foreground. Imag... More
Surveyor 1 Shadow. NASA public domain image colelction.
Surveyor 1, the first of the Surveyor missions to make a successful soft landing on the Moon, proved design and landing techniques. In addition to transmitting over 11,000 pictures, it sent information on the b... More
Surveyor 1 Shadow. NASA public domain image colelction.
Surveyor 1, the first of the Surveyor missions to make a successful soft landing on the Moon, proved design and landing techniques. In addition to transmitting over 11,000 pictures, it sent information on the b... More
First View of Earth from Moon. NASA public domain image colelction.
The world's first view of Earth taken by a spacecraft from the vicinity of the Moon. The photo was transmitted to Earth by the United States Lunar Orbiter I and received at the NASA tracking station at Robled... More
Man and Machine, NASA Apollo program
Charles Conrad Jr., Apollo 12 Commander, examines the unmanned Surveyor III spacecraft during the second extravehicular activity (EVA-2). The Lunar Module (LM) "Intrepid" is in the right background. This pict... More
H. Julian Allen with Blunt Body Theory
H. Julian Allen is best known for his "Blunt Body Theory" of aerodynamics, a design technique for alleviating the severe re-entry heating problem which was then delaying the development of ballistic missiles. H... More
Color view of Chryse Planitia by the Viking 1 Lander
Viking 1 Lander image of Chryse Planitia looking over the lander. The large white object at lower left and center, with the American flag on the side, is the radiothermal generator (RTG) cover. The high-gain S-... More