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 "Desert"

973 results found - Page 3 of 41

NASA image: A back view of the Lunar Electric Rover
Image
Oct 24, 2008

A back view of the Lunar Electric Rover

A back view of the Lunar Electric Rover (LER) during the Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) remote field...

JSC
NASA image: Space Radar Image of Barstow, California
Image
Apr 15, 1999

Space Radar Image of Barstow, California

This spaceborne radar image shows part of the Mojave Desert in the vicinity of Barstow, California and reveals...

JPL
NASA image: The Mojave Desert serves as a stark background for NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 flying near Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California on Sept. 18, 2024.
Image
Sep 18, 2024

The Mojave Desert serves as a stark background for NASA’s Pilatus PC-12 flying near Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California on Sept. 18, 2024.

Equipped with state-of-the-art technology to test and evaluate communication, navigation, and surveillance systems,...

AFRC
NASA image: Brandburg Prominance, Namibia, Africa
Image
Jan 19, 1993

Brandburg Prominance, Namibia, Africa

STS054-151-009 (13-19 Jan 1993) --- This large format camera's view shows the circular volcanic structure of the...

JSC
NASA image: ED15-0229-01
Image
Aug 3, 2015

ED15-0229-01

From left, former Desert Christian students Logan Francisco, Kyler Stephens and Jonathan Lokos and NASA Armstrong...

AFRC
NASA image: ERAST Program Proteus Aircraft in Flight over the Mojave Desert in California
Image
Jul 26, 1999

ERAST Program Proteus Aircraft in Flight over the Mojave Desert in California

The unusual design of the Proteus high-altitude aircraft, incorporating a gull-wing shape for its main wing and a...

AFRC
NASA image: X-38 over the Mojave Desert, July 10, 2001
Image
Jul 10, 2001

X-38 over the Mojave Desert, July 10, 2001

NASA's X-38 glided high over California desert test ranges as it descended from 37,500 feet to land on Rogers Dry...

AFRC
NASA image: Lake Mead, NV
Image
Jun 22, 1973

Lake Mead, NV

SL2-03-192 (22 June 1973) --- Lake Mead, Nevada, (36.0N, 114.5E) where the water from the Colorado River empties...

JSC
NASA image: Space Radar Image of Niya Ruins, Taklamakan Desert
Image
May 1, 1999

Space Radar Image of Niya Ruins, Taklamakan Desert

This radar image is of an area thought to contain the ruins of the ancient settlement of Niya. It is located in the...

JPL
NASA image: LDEF Retrieval over the Namib Desert, Namibia, Africa
Image
Jan 20, 1990

LDEF Retrieval over the Namib Desert, Namibia, Africa

STS032-85-029 (12 Jan. 1990) --- (ORIENT PHOTO WITH COLUMBIA'S CARGO BAY IN LOWER CENTER). This 70mm frame was taken...

JSC
NASA image: Boeing's CST-100 Launch Abort Engine Test
Image
Oct 17, 2016

Boeing's CST-100 Launch Abort Engine Test

A launch abort engine built by Aerojet Rocketdyne is hot-fired during tests in the Mojave Desert in California. The...

KSC
NASA image: Boeing's CST-100 Launch Abort Engine Test
Image
Oct 20, 2016

Boeing's CST-100 Launch Abort Engine Test

A launch abort engine built by Aerojet Rocketdyne is hot-fired during tests in the Mojave Desert in California. The...

KSC
NASA image: Nile River, Lake Nasser, Aswan Dam, Egypt
Image
Aug 11, 1991

Nile River, Lake Nasser, Aswan Dam, Egypt

Egypt's High Aswan Dam on the Nile River at the first cataracts, Nile River, (24.0N, 33.0E) was completed in 1971 to...

JSC
NASA image: Great Indian Desert photographed during MA-9 flight
Image
May 16, 1963

Great Indian Desert photographed during MA-9 flight

S63-06447 (15-16 May 1963) --- The Great Indian Desert, located west of New Delhi, India, as photographed from the...

JSC
NASA image: A portion of the hot, arid Namib Desert near the Atlantic coast
Image
Aug 20, 2025

A portion of the hot, arid Namib Desert near the Atlantic coast

iss073e0511487 (Aug. 20, 2025) --- A portion of the hot, arid Namib Desert near the Atlantic coast, with its sand...

JSC
NASA image: A portion of the Atacama Desert along Peru’s southern Pacific coast
Image
Feb 13, 2026

A portion of the Atacama Desert along Peru’s southern Pacific coast

iss074e0315662 (Feb. 13, 2026) --- A portion of the Atacama Desert along Peru’s southern Pacific coast, featuring...

JSC
NASA image: Iquique, Chile, at the base of a steep coastal slope just west of the Atacama Desert
Image
Mar 5, 2026

Iquique, Chile, at the base of a steep coastal slope just west of the Atacama Desert

iss074e0362030 (March 5, 2026) --- Iquique, Chile, with a population of over 230,000, lies at the base of a steep...

JSC
NASA image: Goldstone 70-Meter
Image
Dec 18, 2013

Goldstone 70-Meter

Late night in the desert: Goldstone 230-foot 70-meter antenna tracks spacecraft day and night. This photograph was...

JPL
NASA image: Richat Structure, Mauritania
Image
Jun 17, 2004

Richat Structure, Mauritania

This prominent circular feature, known as the Richat Structure, in the Sahara desert of Mauritania is often noted by...

JPL
NASA image: ED07-0110-12
Image
May 24, 2007

ED07-0110-12

Two NASA Dryden F/A-18s flown by research pilots Frank Batteas and Nils Larson were captured by photographer Lori...

AFRC
NASA image: Learning to Listen to the X-59
Image
Jan 17, 2024

Learning to Listen to the X-59

Dr. Alexandra Loubeau, one of the technical co-leads for sonic boom community testing for the Quesst mission, sets...

AFRC
NASA image: California Solar Farms
Image
Apr 2, 2015

California Solar Farms

On February 15, 2015 the Desert Sunlight solar project in California’s Mojave Desert became operational. This image...

JPL
NASA image: As the sun sets over the high desert, NASA technicians on mobile high-lifts prepare the shuttle Endeavour for towing off the Edwards Air Force Base runway
Image
Nov 30, 2008

As the sun sets over the high desert, NASA technicians on mobile high-lifts prepare the shuttle Endeavour for towing off the Edwards Air Force Base runway

As the sun sets over the high desert, NASA technicians on mobile high-lifts prepare the shuttle Endeavour for towing...

AFRC
NASA image: Sahara Desert, Sudan, Northeast Africa as seen from STS-62
Image
Mar 5, 1994

Sahara Desert, Sudan, Northeast Africa as seen from STS-62

STS062-151-182Z (4-18 March 1994) --- This east-looking view shows most of the east-west extent of the country of...

JSC
PreviousPage 3 of 41Next

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