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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 "rock drill"

160 results found - Page 2 of 7

NASA image: Checking Contact Points for Curiosity Drill
Image
Jun 5, 2013

Checking Contact Points for Curiosity Drill

This image demonstrates how engineers place the drill carried by NASA Mars rover Curiosity onto rock targets. They...

JPL
NASA image: Candidate Drilling Target on Mars Doesnt Pass Exam
Image
Aug 22, 2014

Candidate Drilling Target on Mars Doesnt Pass Exam

This image from the front Hazcam on NASA Curiosity Mars rover shows the rover drill in place during a test of...

JPL
NASA image: John Klein Site Selected for Curiosity Drill Debut
Image
Jan 15, 2013

John Klein Site Selected for Curiosity Drill Debut

This view shows the patch of veined, flat-lying rock selected as the first drilling site for NASA Mars rover Curiosity.

JPL
NASA image: Curiosity's First Clay Unit Drill Hole
Image
Apr 11, 2019

Curiosity's First Clay Unit Drill Hole

The Mast Camera, or Mastcam, on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this set of images before and after it drilled...

JPL
NASA image: View Down Hidden Valley Ramp at Bonanza King on Mars
Image
Aug 15, 2014

View Down Hidden Valley Ramp at Bonanza King on Mars

The pale rocks in the foreground of this Aug. 14, 2014, image from NASA Curiosity Mars rover include the Bonanza...

JPL
NASA image: Preparation on Earth for Drilling on Mars
Image
Feb 20, 2013

Preparation on Earth for Drilling on Mars

The development of the Mars rover Curiosity capabilities for drilling into a rock on Mars required years of...

JPL
NASA image: Drilling Candidate Site Bonanza King on Mars
Image
Aug 15, 2014

Drilling Candidate Site Bonanza King on Mars

This Aug. 12, 2012, image from the Mastcam on NASA Curiosity Mars rover shows an outcrop that includes the Bonanza...

JPL
NASA image: Testing a Roubion-Like Rock
Image
Feb 14, 2022

Testing a Roubion-Like Rock

Engineers working with NASA's Perseverance Mars rover set up this test area at the agency's Jet Propulsion...

JPL
NASA image: First Drilled Sample on Mars Since 2016
Image
May 23, 2018

First Drilled Sample on Mars Since 2016

NASA's Curiosity rover successfully drilled a hole 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) deep in a target called "Duluth" on...

JPL
NASA image: Sample Tube in Perseverance's Drill With Rock Core
Image
Sep 2, 2021

Sample Tube in Perseverance's Drill With Rock Core

This Mastcam-Z image shows a sample of Mars rock inside the sample tube on Sept. 1, 2021 (the 190th sol, or Martian...

JPL
NASA image: Close-Up of a Perseverance-Like Drill
Image
Feb 14, 2022

Close-Up of a Perseverance-Like Drill

This drill is a duplicate of the one aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. It was used in a test campaign at NASA's...

JPL
NASA image: Neighborhood for Curiosity First Drilling Campaign
Image
Jan 15, 2013

Neighborhood for Curiosity First Drilling Campaign

This wide view of the John Klein location selected for the first rock drilling by NASA Mars rover Curiosity is a...

JPL
NASA image: Curiosity First Sample Drilling
Image
Feb 9, 2013

Curiosity First Sample Drilling

At the center of this image from NASA Curiosity rover is the hole in a rock called John Klein where the rover...

JPL
NASA image: Nighttime Image of Laser Sharpshooting on Mars
Image
May 15, 2014

Nighttime Image of Laser Sharpshooting on Mars

NASA Curiosity Mars rover provided this nighttime view of a hole produced by the rover drill and, inside the hole, a...

JPL
NASA image: Preparatory Drilling Test on Martian Target Windjana
Image
Apr 30, 2014

Preparatory Drilling Test on Martian Target Windjana

NASA Curiosity Mars rover completed a shallow mini drill test April 29, 2014, in preparation for full-depth drilling...

JPL
NASA image: Mars 2020 Collecting Sample (Artist's Concept)
Image
Feb 10, 2020

Mars 2020 Collecting Sample (Artist's Concept)

In this illustration, NASA's Mars 2020 rover uses its drill to core a rock sample on Mars. Scheduled to launch in...

JPL
NASA image: Curiosity's Selfie at "Rock Hall"
Image
Jan 28, 2019

Curiosity's Selfie at "Rock Hall"

A selfie taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on Sol 2291 (January 15) at the "Rock Hall" drill site, located on...

JPL
NASA image: Drilling into Mars
Image
Feb 20, 2013

Drilling into Mars

This frame from an animation of NASA Curiosity rover shows the complicated suite of operations involved in...

JPL
NASA image: Updated Curiosity Self-Portrait at John Klein
Image
May 21, 2013

Updated Curiosity Self-Portrait at John Klein

This self-portrait of NASA Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of exposures to show gray-powder and two holes where...

JPL
NASA image: Scarp Retreat Model and Exposure History of Yellowknife Bay
Image
Dec 9, 2013

Scarp Retreat Model and Exposure History of Yellowknife Bay

NASA Curiosity Mars rover has made measurements indicating that the Cumberland rock target the rover drilled in May...

JPL
NASA image: Mars Rock Windjana After Examination
Image
May 15, 2014

Mars Rock Windjana After Examination

This May 12, 2014, view from NASA Curiosity Mars Rover shows the rock target Windjana and its immediate surroundings...

JPL
NASA image: Drilled Hole and ChemCam Marks at Cumberland
Image
Jun 5, 2013

Drilled Hole and ChemCam Marks at Cumberland

The Chemistry and Camera ChemCam instrument on NASA Mars rover Curiosity was used to check the composition of gray...

JPL
NASA image: Creating a Returnable Cache of Martian Samples
Image
Jul 9, 2013

Creating a Returnable Cache of Martian Samples

This picture shows one prototype for hardware to cache samples of cores drilled from Martian rocks for possible...

JPL
NASA image: Clay Mineral Structure Similar to Clays Observed in Mudstone on Mars
Image
Dec 9, 2013

Clay Mineral Structure Similar to Clays Observed in Mudstone on Mars

This schematic shows the atomic structure of the smallest units that make up the layers and interlayer region of...

JPL
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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

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Mission updates & discoveries