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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 "first orbital mission"

7,531 results found - Page 1 of 314

NASA image: Large crowds gathered on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB to see the first landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia, completing its first orbital mission
Image
Apr 14, 1981

Large crowds gathered on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB to see the first landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia, completing its first orbital mission

Large crowds gathered on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB to see the first landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia,...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission

The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission

The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia glides down over Rogers Dry Lake as it heads for a landing at Edwards AFB at the conclusion of its first orbital mission
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia glides down over Rogers Dry Lake as it heads for a landing at Edwards AFB at the conclusion of its first orbital mission

The Space Shuttle Columbia glides down over Rogers Dry Lake as it heads for a landing at Edwards Air Force Base at...

AFRC
NASA image: NASA's 747 with Columbia atop takes off to ferry the Shuttle back to KSC in Florida, after completing its first orbital mission with a landing at Edwards AFB
Image
Apr 28, 1981

NASA's 747 with Columbia atop takes off to ferry the Shuttle back to KSC in Florida, after completing its first orbital mission with a landing at Edwards AFB

NASA's specially modified 747 with the Space Shuttle Columbia atop takes off to ferry the Shuttle back to Kennedy...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission on April 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia on Rogers Dry lakebed at Edwards AFB after landing to complete its first orbital mission...

AFRC
NASA image: VIew of Mission Control on first day of ASTP docking in Earth orbit
Image
Jul 15, 1975

VIew of Mission Control on first day of ASTP docking in Earth orbit

S75-28483 (15 July 1975) --- An overall view of the Mission Operations Control Room in the Mission Control Center on...

JSC
NASA image: Melvin Burke, Ike Gillam, Fitz Fulton, and Deke Slayton give the Space Shuttle Columbia a humorous sendoff before it's ferry flight back to KSC in Florida
Image
Apr 28, 1981

Melvin Burke, Ike Gillam, Fitz Fulton, and Deke Slayton give the Space Shuttle Columbia a humorous sendoff before it's ferry flight back to KSC in Florida

After completing it's first orbital mission with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base on April 14, 1981, Space...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia glides down over Rogers Dry Lake as it heads for a landing at Edwards Air Force Base at the conclusion of its first orbital mission
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia glides down over Rogers Dry Lake as it heads for a landing at Edwards Air Force Base at the conclusion of its first orbital mission

FIRST SHUTTLE LANDING -- The Space Shuttle Columbia glides down over Rogers Dry Lake as it heads for a landing at...

AFRC
NASA image: The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission
Image
Apr 14, 1981

The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to conclude the first orbital shuttle mission

TOUCHDOWN! -- The Space Shuttle Columbia touches down on lakebed runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to...

AFRC
NASA image: Stardust Returns to Earth Artist Concept
Image
Nov 3, 2005

Stardust Returns to Earth Artist Concept

Artist rendering of NASA’s Stardust returning to Earth. Stardust is the first U.S. space mission dedicated to the...

JPL
NASA image: Spacecraft Observes Another Spacecraft at the Moon
Image
Dec 13, 2012

Spacecraft Observes Another Spacecraft at the Moon

This is the first footage of one orbiting robotic spacecraft taken by another orbiting robotic spacecraft at Earth...

JPL
NASA image: Trojan Asteroid Shares Orbit with Earth Artist Animation
Image
Jul 27, 2011

Trojan Asteroid Shares Orbit with Earth Artist Animation

This artist concept illustrates the first known Earth Trojan asteroid, discovered by NEOWISE, the asteroid-hunting...

JPL
NASA image: Luna 16
Image
Mar 25, 2010

Luna 16

Luna 16 was the first robotic mission to land on the Moon on basaltic plains of Mare Fecunditatis and return a...

JPL
NASA image: Closer to Finding an Earth Artist Concept
Image
Dec 5, 2011

Closer to Finding an Earth Artist Concept

This artist conception illustrates Kepler-22b, a planet known to comfortably circle in the habitable zone of a...

JPL
NASA image: Mapping Potassium
Image
Apr 16, 2015

Mapping Potassium

During the first year of NASA MESSENGER orbital mission, the spacecraft GRS instrument measured the elemental...

JPL
NASA image: Guy Bluford, First African American in Space: 40 Years of Inspiration
Video
Aug 30, 2023

Guy Bluford, First African American in Space: 40 Years of Inspiration

In 1983, NASA’s Guy Bluford broke barriers and made history as the first African American astronaut in space. Hear...

HQ
NASA image: KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The orbiter Atlantis rolls toward the Orbiter Processing Facility after spending 10 days in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The hiatus in the VAB allowed work to be performed in the OPF that can only be accomplished while the bay is empty. Work included annual validation of the bay's cranes, work platforms, lifting mechanisms and jack stands. Work resumes to prepare Atlantis for launch in September 2004 on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114.
Image
Dec 16, 2003

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The orbiter Atlantis rolls toward the Orbiter Processing Facility after spending 10 days in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The hiatus in the VAB allowed work to be performed in the OPF that can only be accomplished while the bay is empty. Work included annual validation of the bay's cranes, work platforms, lifting mechanisms and jack stands. Work resumes to prepare Atlantis for launch in September 2004 on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The orbiter Atlantis rolls toward the Orbiter Processing Facility after spending 10...

KSC
NASA image: KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Atlantis is backed away from the Vehicle Assembly Building for transfer back to the Orbiter Processing Facility. Atlantis spent 10 days in the VAB to allow work to be performed in the OPF that can only be accomplished while the bay is empty. Work included annual validation of the bay's cranes, work platforms, lifting mechanisms and jack stands. Work resumes to prepare Atlantis for launch in September 2004 on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114.
Image
Dec 16, 2003

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Atlantis is backed away from the Vehicle Assembly Building for transfer back to the Orbiter Processing Facility. Atlantis spent 10 days in the VAB to allow work to be performed in the OPF that can only be accomplished while the bay is empty. Work included annual validation of the bay's cranes, work platforms, lifting mechanisms and jack stands. Work resumes to prepare Atlantis for launch in September 2004 on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The orbiter Atlantis is backed away from the Vehicle Assembly Building for transfer...

KSC
NASA image: KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The orbiter Atlantis is back inside the Orbiter Processing Facility after spending 10 days in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The hiatus in the VAB allowed work to be performed in the OPF that can only be accomplished while the bay is empty. Work included annual validation of the bay's cranes, work platforms, lifting mechanisms and jack stands. Work resumes to prepare Atlantis for launch in September 2004 on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114.
Image
Dec 16, 2003

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The orbiter Atlantis is back inside the Orbiter Processing Facility after spending 10 days in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The hiatus in the VAB allowed work to be performed in the OPF that can only be accomplished while the bay is empty. Work included annual validation of the bay's cranes, work platforms, lifting mechanisms and jack stands. Work resumes to prepare Atlantis for launch in September 2004 on the first return-to-flight mission, STS-114.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The orbiter Atlantis is back inside the Orbiter Processing Facility after spending 10...

KSC
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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

Mars Rover Photos

Curiosity & Perseverance images

Earth from Space

DSCOVR EPIC daily images

Launch Schedule

Upcoming rocket launches

Space News

Mission updates & discoveries