CosmosObservatory
Explore
Solar System
Live
Learn
Tools
About
Cosmos Observatory
ToolsAbout
Cosmos Observatory

Explore the universe through NASA data, real-time ISS tracking, Mars rover imagery, asteroid monitoring, and comprehensive space encyclopedia. Your gateway to the cosmos.

Explore

  • APOD
  • Mars Rovers
  • Earth Imagery
  • NASA Gallery
  • ISS Tracker

Data

  • Asteroids
  • Solar System
  • Exoplanets
  • Space Weather
  • Launches

Tools

  • Glossary
  • News
  • Calculators

Legal

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Space Tools
  • Contact

Stay updated with the cosmos

Get weekly digests of APOD highlights, upcoming launches, and space events.

© 2026 Cosmos Observatory. All rights reserved. Built with for space enthusiasts.

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.

  1. Home
  2. /
  3. NASA Gallery

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 "External Tank Separation"

253 results found - Page 2 of 11

NASA image: KSC-11-S-00011
Video
Feb 24, 2011

KSC-11-S-00011

Discovery is in orbit. With the separation of the solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank, the shuttle and crew...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-02pd1375
Image
Sep 26, 2002

KSC-02pd1375

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup view of the camera mounted on the external tank of Space Shuttle Atlantis....

KSC
NASA image: KSC-02pd1376
Image
Sep 26, 2002

KSC-02pd1376

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A closeup view of the camera mounted on the external tank of Space Shuttle Atlantis....

KSC
NASA image: KSC-02pd1374
Image
Sep 26, 2002

KSC-02pd1374

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A view of the camera mounted on the external tank of Space Shuttle Atlantis. The color...

KSC
NASA image: KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  In the Vehicle Assembly Building, a KSC employee separates the forward assembly (nose cap and frustum) from a solid rocket booster (SRB) after removing the bolts.  The destacking is part of time and cycle activities.  The SRB was part of the stack on Atlantis originally scheduled for a March 1, 2003, launch on mission STS-114.  The SRBs and external tank were demated in February 2003.   The mission is now scheduled to occur no earlier than Sept. 12, 2004, on Atlantis.
Image
Dec 9, 2003

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, a KSC employee separates the forward assembly (nose cap and frustum) from a solid rocket booster (SRB) after removing the bolts. The destacking is part of time and cycle activities. The SRB was part of the stack on Atlantis originally scheduled for a March 1, 2003, launch on mission STS-114. The SRBs and external tank were demated in February 2003. The mission is now scheduled to occur no earlier than Sept. 12, 2004, on Atlantis.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, a KSC employee separates the forward assembly (nose...

KSC
NASA image: KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  In the Vehicle Assembly Building, a KSC employee separates the forward assembly (nose cap and frustum) from a solid rocket booster (SRB) after the bolts were removed.  The destacking is part of time and cycle activities.  The SRB was part of the stack on Atlantis originally scheduled for a March 1, 2003, launch on mission STS-114.  The SRBs and external tank were demated in February 2003.   The mission is now scheduled to occur no earlier than Sept. 12, 2004, on Atlantis.
Image
Dec 9, 2003

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, a KSC employee separates the forward assembly (nose cap and frustum) from a solid rocket booster (SRB) after the bolts were removed. The destacking is part of time and cycle activities. The SRB was part of the stack on Atlantis originally scheduled for a March 1, 2003, launch on mission STS-114. The SRBs and external tank were demated in February 2003. The mission is now scheduled to occur no earlier than Sept. 12, 2004, on Atlantis.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Vehicle Assembly Building, a KSC employee separates the forward assembly (nose...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-05pd-0094
Image
Jan 7, 2005

KSC-05pd-0094

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Mission STS-114 Commander Eileen Collins and Sen. Bill Nelson watch as the newly...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-05pd-0095
Image
Jan 7, 2005

KSC-05pd-0095

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach talks to STS-114 Mission Commander Eileen Collins...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-05pd-0097
Image
Jan 7, 2005

KSC-05pd-0097

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Sen. Bill Nelson and STS-114 Mission Commander Eileen Collins watch the newly...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-2010-4645
Image
Sep 13, 2010

KSC-2010-4645

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is attached to its...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-2010-4646
Image
Sep 13, 2010

KSC-2010-4646

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery is attached to its...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-2010-4644
Image
Sep 13, 2010

KSC-2010-4644

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians in the Vehicle Assembly Building...

KSC
NASA image: External Tank after separation from Atlantis during the STS-132 Mission
Image
May 14, 2010

External Tank after separation from Atlantis during the STS-132 Mission

S132-E-005060 (14 May 2010) --- Just before ascending to Earth orbit, the space shuttle Atlantis dropped off its...

JSC
NASA image: Close-up view of STS-114 External Fuel Tank during separation
Image
Jul 26, 2005

Close-up view of STS-114 External Fuel Tank during separation

STS114-E-5015 (26 July 2005) ---- Handheld still images taken by Discovery's crew of the external fuel tank as it...

JSC
NASA image: View of STS-114 External Fuel Tank during separation
Image
Jul 26, 2005

View of STS-114 External Fuel Tank during separation

S114-E-5122 (26 July 2005) --- The external fuel tank is jettisoned from the Space Shuttle Discovery and falls...

JSC
NASA image: External Tank after separation from Discovery during the STS-120 Mission
Image
Oct 23, 2006

External Tank after separation from Discovery during the STS-120 Mission

S120-E-005003 (23 Oct. 2007) --- External Tank 120 falls away from Space Shuttle Discovery as the crew onboard...

JSC
NASA image: External Tank after separation from Atlantis during the STS-132 Mission
Image
May 14, 2010

External Tank after separation from Atlantis during the STS-132 Mission

S132-E-005065 (14 May 2010) --- Just before ascending to Earth orbit, the space shuttle Atlantis dropped off its...

JSC
NASA image: External Tank after separation from Atlantis during the STS-132 Mission
Image
May 14, 2010

External Tank after separation from Atlantis during the STS-132 Mission

S132-E-005046 (14 May 2010) --- Just before ascending to Earth orbit, the space shuttle Atlantis dropped off its...

JSC
NASA image: External Tank after separation from Atlantis during the STS-132 Mission
Image
May 14, 2010

External Tank after separation from Atlantis during the STS-132 Mission

S132-E-005080 (14 May 2010) --- Just before ascending to Earth orbit, the space shuttle Atlantis dropped off its...

JSC
NASA image: External Tank after separation from Discovery during the STS-120 Mission
Image
Oct 23, 2006

External Tank after separation from Discovery during the STS-120 Mission

S120-E-005123 (23 Oct. 2007) --- External Tank 120 falls away from Space Shuttle Discovery as a digital camera...

JSC
NASA image: View of ET during separation
Image
May 11, 2009

View of ET during separation

S125-E-014058 (11 May 2009) --- One of a series of photos taken by the umbilical well camera aboard the Space...

JSC
NASA image: LAUNCH (SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER [SRB]) - STS-1
Image
Apr 12, 1981

LAUNCH (SOLID ROCKET BOOSTER [SRB]) - STS-1

S81-30509 (12 April 1981) --- Separation of space shuttle Columbia?s external tank, photographed by motion picture...

JSC
NASA image: KSC-05pd-0084
Image
Jan 7, 2005

KSC-05pd-0084

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The redesigned External Tank is being raised off its transporter. It will be lifted to...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-05pd-0093
Image
Jan 7, 2005

KSC-05pd-0093

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Viewed from the floor of the Vehicle Assembly Building, the redesigned External Tank is...

KSC
PreviousPage 2 of 11Next

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

Curiosity & Perseverance images

Earth from Space

DSCOVR EPIC daily images

Launch Schedule

Upcoming rocket launches

Space News

Mission updates & discoveries