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 "STS-81"

129 results found - Page 3 of 6

NASA image: Microgravity
Image
Jan 12, 1997

Microgravity

Nucleosome Core Particle grown on STS-81. The fundamental structural unit of chromatin and is the basis for...

MSFC
NASA image: KSC-97pc190
Image
Jan 22, 1997

KSC-97pc190

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With its drag chute deployed, the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis touches down on...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-97pc191
Image
Jan 22, 1997

KSC-97pc191

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- With its drag chute deployed, the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis touches down on...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-97pc198
Image
Jan 22, 1997

KSC-97pc198

U. S. astronaut John E. Blaha and his wife, Brenda, hold hands in the crew quarters at KSC after he answered...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-97pc197
Image
Jan 22, 1997

KSC-97pc197

U. S. astronaut John E. Blaha poses with his wife, Brenda (left), and daughter, Carolyn (right), in the crew...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-97pc199
Image
Jan 22, 1997

KSC-97pc199

U. S. astronaut John E. Blaha and his family are all smiles as they embrace in the crew quarters at KSC after he...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-97pc192
Image
Jan 22, 1997

KSC-97pc192

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis glides out of a morning sky as it prepares to land...

KSC
NASA image: KSC-97pc195
Image
Jan 22, 1997

KSC-97pc195

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Four members of the STS-81 crew pose in front of the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis on...

KSC
NASA image: Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission
Image
Jan 21, 1997

Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission

STS081-711-009 (12-22 Jan. 1997) --- As photographed with a 70mm handheld camera from the Earth-orbiting Space...

JSC
NASA image: STS-81 crew on middeck preparing for re-entry
Image
Feb 14, 1997

STS-81 crew on middeck preparing for re-entry

STS081-308-032 (12-22 Jan. 1997) --- Astronaut Marsha S. Ivins appears almost lost among the bags of material to be...

JSC
NASA image: Mir 22 and STS-81 crew work with gyrodyne
Image
Feb 4, 1997

Mir 22 and STS-81 crew work with gyrodyne

STS081-301-032 (12-22 Jan. 1997) --- Shortly after the docking of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and Russia's Mir Space...

JSC
NASA image: STS-81 crew present gift of oranges and grapefruit
Image
Feb 20, 1997

STS-81 crew present gift of oranges and grapefruit

STS081-343-014 (12-22 Jan. 1997) --- Oranges and grapefruit brought up from Earth get a popular reception by the...

JSC
NASA image: Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission
Image
Jan 13, 1997

Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission

STS081-715-004 (12-22 Jan. 1997) --- As photographed with a 70mm camera aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, this...

JSC
NASA image: STS-81 crew packs hardware for stowage in the Spacehab
Image
Jan 16, 1997

STS-81 crew packs hardware for stowage in the Spacehab

STS081-E-05515 (16 Jan. 1997) --- Astronauts Michael A. Baker, commander, and Peter J. K. (Jeff) Wisoff, mission...

JSC
NASA image: Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission
Image
Jan 16, 1997

Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission

STS081-719-084 (12-22 Jan. 1997) --- The capital of the state of Colorado is featured prominently in this winter...

JSC
NASA image: Mir 22 and STS-81 crew work with gyrodyne
Image
Feb 4, 1997

Mir 22 and STS-81 crew work with gyrodyne

STS081-301-031 (12-22 Jan 1997) --- Shortly after docking of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and Russia's Mir Space...

JSC
NASA image: Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission
Image
Jan 14, 1997

Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission

STS081-717-096 (12-22 Jan. 1997) --- The crewmembers, like astronauts 30 years ago, found the Nile River and its...

JSC
NASA image: Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission
Image
Jan 22, 1997

Earth observations taken during STS-81 mission

STS081-750-048 (12-22 Jan. 1997) --- This photograph, made with a handheld 70mm camera aimed through the Space...

JSC
NASA image: STS-81 crew packs hardware for stowage in the Spacehab
Image
Jan 16, 1997

STS-81 crew packs hardware for stowage in the Spacehab

STS081-E-05514 (16 Jan. 1997) --- The transfer of equipment and supplies continues aboard the Spacehab Double Module...

JSC
NASA image: KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -  STS-79 Mission Specialist John E. Blaha  arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility with five fellow astronauts, ready to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT).  The TCDT is a dress rehearsal for launch for the flight crew and launch team.  Over the next several days, the astronauts will take part in training exercises at the launch pad that will culminate in a simulated launch countdown.  The Space Shuttle Atlantis is being prepared for liftoff around Sept. 12 on STS-79, the fourth docking between the U.S. Shuttle and Russian Space Station Mir. During the approximately nine-day flight, Blaha will change places with fellow spaceflight veteran Shannon Lucid, who is wrapping up a record-setting stay on Mir.  Blaha will remain aboard the Station for about four months, returning to Earth in January 1997 withthe crew of Shuttle Mission STS-81.
Image
Aug 25, 1996

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-79 Mission Specialist John E. Blaha arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility with five fellow astronauts, ready to participate in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). The TCDT is a dress rehearsal for launch for the flight crew and launch team. Over the next several days, the astronauts will take part in training exercises at the launch pad that will culminate in a simulated launch countdown. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is being prepared for liftoff around Sept. 12 on STS-79, the fourth docking between the U.S. Shuttle and Russian Space Station Mir. During the approximately nine-day flight, Blaha will change places with fellow spaceflight veteran Shannon Lucid, who is wrapping up a record-setting stay on Mir. Blaha will remain aboard the Station for about four months, returning to Earth in January 1997 withthe crew of Shuttle Mission STS-81.

NASA image: Mir 21 crew portraits
Image
Jul 14, 1995

Mir 21 crew portraits

S95-16678 (September 1995) --- NASA astronauts Shannon W. Lucid and John E. Blaha next year will follow the lead of...

JSC
NASA image: View of orbiter nose and earth limb
Image
Jan 15, 1997

View of orbiter nose and earth limb

STS081-E-05436 (15 Jan. 1997) --- Soon after the astronauts docked the space shuttle Atlantis with Russia's Mir...

JSC
NASA image: KSC-97pc214
Image
Jan 23, 1997

KSC-97pc214

Returning NASA astronaut and former Mir 22 crew member John E. Blaha (left), addresses the news media at the Skid...

KSC
NASA image: Misssissippi River and St. Louis, MO
Image
Jun 22, 1973

Misssissippi River and St. Louis, MO

SL2-81-189 (22 June 1973) --- The well defined meanderings of the Mississippi River, just to the south of St. Louis,...

JSC
PreviousPage 3 of 6Next

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

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-79 Mission Specialist John E. Blaha arrives at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility with...

KSC