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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 "optics research"

201 results found - Page 3 of 9

NASA image: Laser Comm Team Poses In Front Of PC-12 Aircraft
Image
Jun 13, 2024

Laser Comm Team Poses In Front Of PC-12 Aircraft

A team at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland streamed 4K video footage from an aircraft to the International...

GRC
NASA image: Pilatus PC-12 Prepped for Takeoff
Image
Jun 12, 2024

Pilatus PC-12 Prepped for Takeoff

A team at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland streamed 4K video footage from an aircraft to the International...

GRC
NASA image: PC-12 Aircraft Prepped for Takeoff
Image
Jun 12, 2024

PC-12 Aircraft Prepped for Takeoff

A team at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland streamed 4K video footage from an aircraft to the International...

GRC
NASA image: Pilatus PC-12 Aircraft Being Prepped for Takeoff
Image
Jun 12, 2024

Pilatus PC-12 Aircraft Being Prepped for Takeoff

Pilatus PC-12 Aircraft Being Prepped for Takeoff on June 12, 2024. A team at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in...

GRC
NASA image: View of the Glenn Research Center Hangar from the PC-12 Aircraft
Image
Jun 13, 2024

View of the Glenn Research Center Hangar from the PC-12 Aircraft

A team at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland streamed 4K video footage from an aircraft to the International...

GRC
NASA image: Portraits of Carolyn Mizell
Image
Jun 30, 2022

Portraits of Carolyn Mizell

Carolyn Mizell, chief of the Research and Technology Management Office at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is...

KSC
NASA image: NASA Prepares for Mock Truss-Braced Wing Tests
Image
Apr 1, 2024

NASA Prepares for Mock Truss-Braced Wing Tests

Engineering technician Jeff Howell mounts conventional strain gauges to the Mock Truss-Braced Wing 10-foot model at...

AFRC
NASA image: PRO Imagery Submittal - GULBI
Image
Jul 9, 2025

PRO Imagery Submittal - GULBI

jsc2025e067422 97/9/2025) --- Agar plates for the GULBI investigation. This research uses special optical fibers to...

JSC
NASA image: NASA Prepares for Mock Truss-Braced Wing Tests
Image
Apr 18, 2024

NASA Prepares for Mock Truss-Braced Wing Tests

Engineering technician Jeff Howell removes tape from the Mock Truss-Braced Wing 10-foot model at NASA’s Armstrong...

AFRC
NASA image: Air-LUSI Project - ER-2 Science Mission
Image
Nov 6, 2019

Air-LUSI Project - ER-2 Science Mission

Steven Grantham (NIST) and John Woodward (NIST) contemplate cable management for air-LUSI’s Irradiance Instrument...

AFRC
NASA image: High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) Instrument
Image
Apr 10, 2019

High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) Instrument

The High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO) instrument head, which houses the lidar instrument, is installed onto the...

AFRC
NASA image: PRO Imagery Submittal - GULBI
Image
Aug 5, 2025

PRO Imagery Submittal - GULBI

jsc2025e067423 (8/5/20250 --- Germicidal UV light is emitted by an optical fiber running through the center of an...

JSC
NASA image: Helping CryoFILL Turn Oxygen into Fuel
Image
Jul 6, 2023

Helping CryoFILL Turn Oxygen into Fuel

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center’s FOSS, Fiber Optic Sensing System, recently supported tests of a system...

AFRC
NASA image: AFRC2017-0092-02
Image
Apr 25, 2017

AFRC2017-0092-02

Shideh Naderi works on designing the electronics for the next generation Fiber Optic Sensing System.

AFRC
NASA image: AFRC2017-0092-07
Image
Apr 25, 2017

AFRC2017-0092-07

The Fiber Optic Sensing System team includes in the front from left Nick Finks, Ryan Warner, Patrick Chan and Paul...

AFRC
NASA image: AFRC2017-0092-04
Image
Apr 25, 2017

AFRC2017-0092-04

Patrick Chan demonstrates one way that the Fiber Optic Sensing System is used by bending a fiber with a 3D...

AFRC
NASA image: Biotechnology
Image
Jan 22, 2003

Biotechnology

ProVision Technologies, a NASA commercial space center at Sternis Space Center in Mississippi, has developed a new...

MSFC
NASA image: ED07-0287-08
Image
Dec 17, 2007

ED07-0287-08

Although the new fiber optic sensors on the Ikhana, which are located on fibers that are the diameter of a human...

AFRC
NASA image: Microgravity
Image
May 26, 1999

Microgravity

NASA researcher Dr. Donald Frazier uses a blue laser shining through a quartz window into a special mix of chemicals...

MSFC
NASA image: ED08-0109-08
Image
May 1, 2008

ED08-0109-08

Ikhana fiber optic wing shape sensor team: clockwise from left, Anthony "Nino" Piazza, Allen Parker, William Ko and...

AFRC
NASA image: STS-42 MS/PLC Norman E. Thagard adjusts Rack 10 FES equipment in IML-1 module
Image
Jan 30, 1992

STS-42 MS/PLC Norman E. Thagard adjusts Rack 10 FES equipment in IML-1 module

STS042-05-006 (22-30 Jan 1992) --- Astronaut Norman E. Thagard, payload commander, performs the Fluids Experiment...

JSC
NASA image: Microgravity
Image
Feb 5, 1998

Microgravity

Scarning electron microscope images of the surface of ZBLAN fibers pulled in microgravity (ug) and on Earth (1g)...

MSFC
NASA image: Hopkins during SODI-DCMIX 2 Experiment
Image
Nov 30, 2013

Hopkins during SODI-DCMIX 2 Experiment

ISS038-E-009253 (26 Nov. 2013) --- In the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory, NASA astronaut Michael...

JSC
NASA image: Hopkins during SODI-DCMIX 2 Experiment
Image
Nov 30, 2013

Hopkins during SODI-DCMIX 2 Experiment

ISS038-E-009255 (26 Nov. 2013) --- In the International Space Station?s Destiny laboratory, NASA astronaut Michael...

JSC
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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

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Curiosity & Perseverance images

Earth from Space

DSCOVR EPIC daily images

Launch Schedule

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Space News

Mission updates & discoveries