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This website is not affiliated with, maintained, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with NASA or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. All NASA imagery is in the public domain unless otherwise noted. Data sourced from NASA Open APIs, Launch Library 2, and other open data services.

NASA Gallery

Explore NASA's vast collection of space images, videos, and audio from missions past and present.

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NASA's Image and Video Library: A Visual Archive of Space Exploration

NASA's Image and Video Library is one of the most comprehensive public archives of space imagery in the world, containing over 140,000 images, videos, and audio recordings spanning more than six decades of space exploration. From the earliest Mercury and Gemini missions through the Apollo Moon landings, the Space Shuttle era, and today's cutting-edge observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, this collection documents humanity's journey into the cosmos.

The library includes imagery from diverse sources: telescopes like Hubble and Webb that capture deep-space nebulae, galaxies, and exoplanets; planetary missions like the Mars rovers ( browse Mars photos) and Cassini at Saturn; Earth observation satellites ( see EPIC imagery); astronaut photography from the ISS; and documentation of rocket launches, spacecraft assembly, and ground testing. Most NASA images are in the public domain and free to download at full resolution for educational, editorial, and personal use.

Use the search bar above to find specific subjects — try queries like "Apollo 11," "Hubble Deep Field," "Mars surface," or "astronaut EVA." You can also filter by media type (image, video, or audio). For a daily curated experience, visit the Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Showing results for "Scientific Balloon launch"

101 results found - Page 1 of 5

NASA image: NASA Launches Back-to-Back Scientific Balloons
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA Launches Back-to-Back Scientific Balloons

Surging to take advantage of near-perfect launch conditions, NASA’s Scientific Balloon Team launched two balloons...

GSFC
NASA image: Balloons on Ice: NASA Launches Antarctica Scientific Balloon Campaign
Image
Dec 8, 2017

Balloons on Ice: NASA Launches Antarctica Scientific Balloon Campaign

Cosmic rays and the chemicals and atoms that make up the interstellar space between stars are the focus of this...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA Scientific Balloon Team Hopes to Break Flight Duration Record with New Zealand Launch
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA Scientific Balloon Team Hopes to Break Flight Duration Record with New Zealand Launch

After years of tests and development, NASA’s Balloon Program team is on the cusp of expanding the envelope in...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA Scientific Balloon Team Hopes to Break Flight Duration Record with New Zealand Launch
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA Scientific Balloon Team Hopes to Break Flight Duration Record with New Zealand Launch

After years of tests and development, NASA’s Balloon Program team is on the cusp of expanding the envelope in...

GSFC
NASA image: GSCF2024excite03
Image
Aug 31, 2024

GSCF2024excite03

It takes around an hour to fill a 39-million-cubic-foot scientific balloon with helium. The EXCITE telescope is...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA Launches Super-Pressure Balloon
Video
May 19, 2016

NASA Launches Super-Pressure Balloon

NASA successfully launched a super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wanaka Airport, New Zealand, at 11:35 a.m. Tuesday,...

GSFC
NASA image: GSFC2024excite04
Image
Aug 31, 2024

GSFC2024excite04

This is EXCITE’s moment of release. On August 31, 2024, the EXCITE (EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope) team...

GSFC
NASA image: GSFC2024HASP0202
Image
Aug 28, 2024

GSFC2024HASP0202

The Scientific balloon eclipses the sun as it fills with helium, and the High Altitude Student Platform awaits...

GSFC
NASA image: D-X Payload Ready For Flight
Image
Dec 8, 2017

D-X Payload Ready For Flight

Matthew Mullin and Bobby Meazell, Orbital ATK/Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility technicians, conduct...

GSFC
NASA image: Alien crop circle? No, that’s just NASA’s newest balloon launch pad
Image
Dec 8, 2017

Alien crop circle? No, that’s just NASA’s newest balloon launch pad

Aviators, skydivers and other altitude-seeking enthusiasts flying out of Wanaka Airport, New Zealand, are double...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

The BARREL team inflates the balloon to launch their fifth scientific payload from Esrange Space Center near Kiruna,...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

The fourth BARREL balloon of this campaign sits on the launch pad shortly before it launched on Aug. 21, 2016. The...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

A BARREL balloon inflates on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center on Aug. 29, 2016. Throughout August 2016, the...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

The first BARREL balloon is inflated just before its launch on Aug. 13, 2016, from Esrange Space Center near Kiruna,...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

The third BARREL balloon floats towards the stratosphere on Aug. 21, 2016. This payload flew for nearly 30 hours,...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

Prior to launch, the BARREL team works on the payload from the launch pad at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna,...

GSFC
NASA image: Balloon Program Wraps up in Antarctica, Heading to New Zealand
Image
Dec 8, 2017

Balloon Program Wraps up in Antarctica, Heading to New Zealand

Caption: A NASA Super Pressure Balloon with the COSI payload is ready for launch from McMurdo, Antarctica. Credit:...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

A BARREL payload sits on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. The BARREL team is at Esrange...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

A BARREL team member watches as one of their payloads launches from Esrange Space Center on Aug. 29, 2016....

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

The BARREL team prepares to launch their third payload from Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden, on Aug. 21,...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

Four reindeer walk past the BARREL payload on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. The BARREL...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

A BARREL payload sits on the launch pad at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. The BARREL team is at Esrange...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

A member of the BARREL team prepares a payload for launch from Esrange Space Center on Aug. 29, 2016. Throughout...

GSFC
NASA image: NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden
Image
Dec 8, 2017

NASA's BARREL Mission in Sweden

The faint green glow of aurora can be seen above the clouds at Esrange Space Center in this photo from Aug. 23,...

GSFC
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Frequently Asked Questions About NASA Images

Are NASA images free to use?+
Yes, most NASA images are in the public domain and are free to use for educational, informational, and personal purposes. NASA's media usage guidelines state that NASA material is not copyrighted unless otherwise noted. However, the NASA logo and certain insignia are protected. Some images may include identifiable individuals or third-party content that requires additional permissions. Always check the specific image's usage rights and credit NASA as the source.
How many images does NASA have?+
NASA's Image and Video Library contains over 140,000 publicly accessible images, videos, and audio files spanning the agency's entire history, from the Mercury program of the 1960s to the latest James Webb Space Telescope discoveries. The collection grows daily as new missions capture imagery and archival materials are digitized. Individual mission archives, such as Mars rover photos, contain hundreds of thousands of additional images.
Can I download NASA images?+
Yes, you can download NASA images in multiple resolutions directly from this gallery. Each image detail page provides download links for original (full resolution), large (1920px), medium (960px), small (480px), and thumbnail sizes. NASA encourages the public to use these images for education, media, and personal projects. High-resolution originals are ideal for printing and professional use.

Explore More NASA Content

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Daily curated space image

Mars Rover Photos

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Earth from Space

DSCOVR EPIC daily images

Launch Schedule

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Space News

Mission updates & discoveries