Theodore von Karman, NASA history collection
Full Description: (c. 1950)Dr. Theodore von Karman, co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Pasadena, California was an aeronautical theoretician. He was the first winner of the prestigious U.S. Medal... More
Iron-Nickel Meteorite from Texas with Triangle-Pattern Texture
This iron-nickel meteorite found near Fort Stockton, Texas, in 1952 shows a surface texture similar to some portions of the surface of an iron-nickel meteorite that NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity found... More
Global Color Mosaic of Triton. NASA public domain image colelction.
Global color mosaic of Triton, taken in 1989 by Voyager 2 during its flyby of the Neptune system. Color was synthesized by combining high- resolution images taken through orange, violet, and ultraviolet filters... More
Hubble Finds an Hourglass Nebula around a Dying Star
This Hubble telescope snapshot of MyCn18, a young planetary nebula, reveals that the object has an hourglass shape with an intricate pattern of etchings in its walls. A planetary nebula is the glowing relic of ... More
Venus - Eistla Region, NASA Magellan spacecraft
This image from NASA Magellan spacecraft is of an area located in the Eistla Region of Venus in the southern hemisphere. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00089 NASA/JPL
Venus - Comparison of Initial Magellan Radar Test and Data Acquired in...
This image compares NASA Magellan data acquired in August 1990 during the initial test of the radar system black and white insets with data acquired by the spacecraft in April 1991 color background. The area is... More
Venus Colorized Clouds - NASA/JPL Galileo Program Images
This colorized picture of Venus was taken Feb. 14, 1990, from a distance of almost 1.7 million miles, about 6 days after NASA's Galileo made it closest approach to the planet. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/... More
Sojourner & Terrain, Mars Pathfinder Images
The undeployed Sojourner rover is seen still latched to a lander petal in this image, taken by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 1, the lander's first day on Mars. Portions of a petal and deflated air... More
Mars Inner Core, NASA Mars Images
Mars Inner Core NASA/JPL/GSFC Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Ion Engine Test Firing, JPL/NASA images
Description (November 30, 1998) This image of a xenon ion engine, photographed through a port of the vacuum chamber where it was being tested at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, shows the faint blue glow of ch... More
Europa Ice Rafts, NASA / JPL Europa Image
Europa Ice Rafts NASA/JPL/ASU
Space Radar Image of Ruiz Volcano, Colombia
This spaceborne radar image shows the Ruiz-Tolima volcanic region in central Colombia, about 150 kilometers 93 miles west of Bogata. The town of Manizales, Colombia, is the pinkish area in the upper right of th... More
Saturn and its Rings, Voyager Program, NASA/JPL Photo
Saturn and its Rings NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
SeaWinds Watches for Breakup of Giant Iceberg
NASA QuikScat satellite instrument kept an eye on an iceberg the size of Rhode Island, the first time this space technology had been used to track a potential threat to international shipping. NASA/JPL
Deep Space 1 Ion Engine. NASA public domain image colelction.
This image of a xenon ion engine prototype, photographed through a port of the vacuum chamber where it was being tested at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, shows the faint blue glow of charged atoms being emit... More
Mars Exploration Rover, Vertical Artist Concept
An artist's concept portrays a NASA Mars Exploration Rover on the surface of Mars. Two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, will reach Mars in January 2004. Each has the mobility and toolkit to function as a robotic... More
Burns Cliff Beckons - Mars exploration rover images
Burns Cliff Beckons NASA/JPL/Cornell Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
NASA Aura Spacecraft Artist Concept
The Aura spacecraft is NASA atmospheric chemistry mission that is monitoring the Earth protective atmosphere. NASA
Trough in Tempe, NASA Mars Images
Trough in Tempe NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365. NASA public domain image colelction.
This ultraviolet image from NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer shows barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365, which is a member of the Fornax Cluster of Galaxies. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA07901 NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSC
Galaxy NGC 4579, JPL/NASA images
Galaxy NGC 4579 was captured by the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, or Sings, Legacy project using the Spitzer Space Telescope infrared array camera. I NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Ariz
High View of Melas, 2001 NASA Mars Odyssey images
Soaring high above Valles Marineris, the Grand Canyon of Mars, viewers look down and catch a sight resembling parts of the desert West of the United States, but on a vastly greater scale. Here the canyon averag... More
Young Stars in Their Baby Blanket of Dust
Newborn stars peek out from beneath their natal blanket of dust in this dynamic image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
Saturn Rings, Disturbing Moons, NASA image
Disturbing Moons NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Double the Rubble Artist Concept
This artist conception shows the closest known planetary system to our own, called Epsilon Eridani. Observations from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope show that the system hosts two asteroid belts. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Stellar Interlopers Caught Speeding Through Space
Stellar Interlopers Caught Speeding Through Space NASA, ESA, and R. Sahai NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Big Babies in the Rosette Nebula
This image from ESA Herschel Space Observatory shows of a portion of the Rosette nebula, a stellar nursery about 5,000 light-years from Earth in the Monoceros, or Unicorn, constellation. ESA and the PACS, SPIRE... More
Galactic Metropolis, JPL/NASA images
NASA Spitzer Space Telescope contributed to the infrared component of the observations of a surprisingly large collections of galaxies red dots in center. Shorter-wavelength infrared and visible data are provid... More
Worlds on the Edge Artist Concept
This artist concept illustrates the two Saturn-sized planets discovered by NASA Kepler mission. The star system is oriented edge-on, as seen by Kepler, such that both planets cross in front, or transit, their s... More
Sensor Head on the Mars-bound APXS Instrument
The sensor head on the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer instrument was installed during testing at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The instrument is part of NASA Curiosity rover. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity While on Parachute, Artist Concept
This artist concept shows NASA Curiosity rover tucked inside the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft backshell while the spacecraft is descending on a parachute toward Mars. Here, the spacecraft heat shield has ... More
Full View of Vesta, JPL/NASA images
As NASA Dawn spacecraft takes off for its next destination, this mosaic synthesizes some of the best views the spacecraft had of the giant asteroid Vesta. The set of three craters known as the nowman can be see... More
Angling Saturn - NASA Saturn images
The Cassini spacecraft takes an angled view toward Saturn, showing the southern reaches of the planet with the rings on a dramatic diagonal. The moon Enceladus appears as a small, bright speck in the lower left... More
The Moons of Mars - NASA Mars images
Mars is kept company by two cratered moons -- an inner moon named Phobos and an outer moon named Deimos. NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC/Univ. of Arizona
Annular Eclipse of the Sun by Phobos, as Seen by Curiosity
This set of three images shows views three seconds apart as the larger of Mars two moons, Phobos, passed directly in front of the sun as seen by NASA Mars rover Curiosity. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science S... More
Big Data on the Big Screen. NASA public domain image colelction.
The center of the Milky Way galaxy imaged by NASA Spitzer Space Telescope is displayed on a quarter-of-a-billion-pixel, high-definition 23-foot-wide 7-meter LCD science visualization screen at NASA Ames Researc... More
Witch Head Brews Baby Stars. NASA public domain image colelction.
An infrared portrait of the Witch Head nebula from NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, shows billowy clouds where new stars are brewing. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Warped Galaxies Quiz - Hubble space telescope images
Warping occurs naturally in nature in a phenomenon called strong gravitational lensing as shown in this image simulated from original images from NASA Hubble Space Telescope. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCL
Saturn Rings, Darkness - NASA Saturn images, NASA image
Saturn's main rings, seen here on their "lit" face, appear much darker than normal. That's because they tend to scatter light back toward its source -- in this case, the Sun. Usually, when taking images of the... More
Substantial Coronal Hole, JPL/NASA images
A large, dark coronal hole at the bottom of the Sun has been the most dominant feature this week Jan. 29, 2014 as seen by NASA GSFC Solar Dynamics Observatory. NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory
How Black Hole Winds Blow Artist Concept
Supermassive black holes at the cores of galaxies blast radiation and ultra-fast winds outward, as illustrated in this artist conception based on NASA NuSTAR and ESA XMM-Newton telescopes. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Surrogate Poster Artist Concept, JPL/NASA images
This artist's concept shows Surrogate, a robot that could one day assist in disasters or hazardous situations such as a dangerous chemical laboratory. Surrogate was designed and built at the Jet Propulsion Lab... More
NASA Spacecraft Views Erupting Chilean Volcano
On March 3, 2015, Chile's Villarrica volcano erupted, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. The eruption deposited a layer of ash over the volcano's eastern slope, blanketing and darkening the normal w... More
Sputnik Planum, in Color, JPL/NASA images
This high-resolution image captured by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft combines blue, red and infrared images taken by the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC). The bright expanse is the western lobe... More
Zooming in on Pluto Pattern of Pits
On July 14, 2015, the telescopic camera on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took the highest resolution images ever obtained of the intricate pattern of "pits" across a section of Pluto's prominent heart-shaped r... More
Gargantuan Super Spiral Galaxies Loom Large in the Cosmos
In archived NASA data, researchers have discovered "super spiral" galaxies that dwarf our own spiral galaxy, the Milky Way, and compete in size and brightness with the largest galaxies in the universe. The unpr... More
Heartbeat Stars Artist Concept, JPL/NASA images
This artist's concept depicts "heartbeat stars," which have been detected by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope and others. The illustration shows two heartbeat stars swerving close to one another in their closest ... More
Sorting through Layers, JPL/NASA images
Several small sunspots appeared this week, giving NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory a chance to illustrate their sources Mar. 2, 2017. The first image is a magnetogram or magnetic image of the sun's surface. The ... More
A view of one of the experimental parabolic dish concentrator modules ...
The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Pasadena State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: Unknown Release Status: Released to Public Combin... More
Schematic diagram of light path in Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
S93-33258 (15 Mar 1993) --- An optical schematic diagram of one of the four channels of the Wide Field\Planetary Camera-2 (WF\PC-2) shows the path taken by beams from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) before an ... More
This is a composite photo, assembled from separate images of Jupiter a...
This is a composite photo, assembled from separate images of Jupiter and Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 as imaged by the Wide Field & Planetary Camera-2 (WFPC-2), aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Jupiter ... More
Global View of Earth in the Near-Infrared
This near-infrared photograph of the Earth was taken by the Galileo spacecraft at 6:07 a.m. PST on Dec. 11, 1990, at a range of about 1.32 million miles. South America is prominent near the center. http://phot... More
Australia Viewed by NIMS - NASA/JPL Galileo Program Images
This multispectral map of Australia and surrounding seas was obtained by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer shortly after closest approach on Dec. 8, 1990 from an altitude of about 50,... More
First Color Image From Viking Lander 1
First Color Image From Viking Lander 1 NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Ice on Mars Utopia Planitia Again
Ice on Mars Utopia Planitia Again NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) engineers examine the interface surfa...
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) engineers examine the interface surface on the Cassini spacecraft prior to installation of the third radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG). The other two RTGs, at left, a... More
PIA01492, NASA Neptune Images, JPL/NASA images
This picture of Neptune was produced from the last whole planet images taken through the green and orange filters on NASA's Voyager 2 narrow angle camera. The images were taken at a range of 4.4 million miles f... More
Saturn Taken from Voyager 2. NASA public domain image colelction.
Saturn storms observed by NASA Voyager, Aug. 5, 2004. Voyager 1 and 2 observed radio signals from lightning which were interpreted as being from a persistent, low-latitude storm system. NASA/JPL
Black Hole Simulation, JPL/NASA images
This graphic shows the computer simulation of a black hole from start to finish. Plasma is falling slowly toward the black hole in a (at the upper left). The plasma has a magnetic field, shown by the white line... More
Galaxy NGC 1512 - Hubble space telescope images
A rainbow of colors is captured in the center of a magnificent barred spiral galaxy, as witnessed by the three cameras of NASA Hubble Space Telescope. NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute
Galaxy NGC 3079 - Hubble space telescope images
A lumpy bubble of hot gas rises from a cauldron of glowing matter in a distant galaxy, as seen by NASA Hubble Space Telescope. NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute
Coma cluster of galaxies, JPL/NASA images
Atlas Image mosaic, covering 34 x 34 on the sky, of the Coma cluster, aka Abell 1656. This is a particularly rich cluster of individual galaxies over 1000 members, most prominently the two giant ellipticals, NG... More
Ant Nebula - Hubble space telescope images
This image from NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of a celestial object called the Ant Nebula may shed new light on the future demise of our Sun. NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute
Saturn Approach - Full Disk, Voyager Program, NASA/JPL Photo
Saturn Approach - Full Disk NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of a spacecraft, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Shamshu Mons and Patera, Io - Drawing. Public domain image.
Shamshu Mons and Patera, Io NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Margin of Lava Flow in Daedalia Planum
Margin of Lava Flow in Daedalia Planum NASA/JPL/MSSS Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Basic Features of Martian Gu...
Evidence for Recent Liquid Water on Mars: Basic Features of Martian Gullies NASA/JPL/MSSS
Still From Odyssey Clip 3. NASA public domain image colelction.
This image is a single frame from a computer animation, which begins with a global view of the planet Mars compiled with images from NASA Mars Odyssey spacecraft. NASA/JPL
Closed Small Cell Clouds in the South Pacific
The structure of tightly packed closed cells in a layer of marine stratocumulus over the southeastern Pacific Ocean are highlighted in these views from NASA Terra satellite. NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
Russell Dune Gullies, NASA Mars Images
Russell Dune Gullies NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
JPL Testbed Image of Inflated Airbags
Airbags are fully inflated in this photograph taken at the JPL In-Situ Instrument Laboratory or Testbed, where engineers simulated the orientation of the airbags during the deflation process. NASA/JPL
Approach to Saturn - NASA Saturn images
The narrow angle camera onboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft took a series of exposures of Saturn and its rings and moons on February 9, 2004, which were composited to create this stunning, color image. At the tim... More
Three Great Eyes on Kepler Supernova Remnant
NASA's three Great Observatories -- the Hubble Space Telescope, the SpitzerSpace Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory -- joined forces to probe theexpanding remains of a supernova, called Kepler's super... More
Bright Moon in Darkness - NASA Cassini Huygens images
Bright Moon in Darkness NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Saturn Blue Cranium - NASA Saturn images
Saturn Blue Cranium NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Public domain photograph of a spacecraft, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Seasonal Changes in Earth Surface Albedo
Seasonal changes in Earth surface albedo over a 5-year period are seen in these image summary maps from NASA Terra spacecraft. NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team
Eyes in the Sky, JPL/NASA images
NASA Hubble and Spitzer telescopes combined to make these shape-shifting galaxies taking on the form of a giant mask. The icy blue eyes are actually the cores of two merging galaxies, called NGC 2207 and IC 216... More
Saturn Aslant - NASA Saturn images
This oblique view of Saturn shows what may be localized upwellings in the clouds of Saturn southern hemisphere. Although the contrast is low, a vortex is visible near lower right.This view looks toward the unli... More
Ganesa Macula - NASA Titan images
This radar image of Titan shows Ganesa Macula, interpreted as a cryovolcano ice volcano, and its surroundings. Cryovolcanism is thought to have been an important process on Titan and may still be happening toda... More
The Seven Sisters Pose for Spitzer
The Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades star cluster, seem to float on a bed of feathers in a new infrared image from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. Clouds of dust sweep around the stars, swaddling them in... More
Anatomy of a Shooting Star. NASA public domain image colelction.
A close-up view of a star racing through space faster than a speeding bullet can be seen in this image from NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer. The star is called Mira pronounced My-rah. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Dust in the Quasar Wind Artist Concept
Astronomers using NASA Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence that such quasar winds might have forged these dusty particles in the very early universe. NASA/JPL-Caltech
The View from Iapetus - NASA Cassini Huygens images
While on final approach for its Sept. 2007 close encounter with Saturn moon Iapetus, NASA Cassini spacecraft spun around to take in a sweeping view of the Saturn System. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Mercury Cratered Surface, NASA/JPL Mercury project images
During its flyby of Mercury, NASA MESSENGER spacecraft acquired high-resolution images of the planet surface. This image was obtained on January 14, 2008. NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laborator... More
Vivid View of Tycho Supernova Remnant
This composite image of the Tycho supernova remnant combines infrared and X-ray observations obtained with NASA Spitzer and Chandra space observatories, respectively, MPIA/NASA/Calar Alto Observatory
NASA Great Observatories Witness a Galactic Spectacle
This image of two tangled galaxies has been released by NASA Great Observatories. The Antennae galaxies are shown in this composite image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the ... More
WISE Captures the Unicorn Rose. NASA public domain image colelction.
Unicorns and roses are usually the stuff of fairy tales, but a new cosmic image taken by NASA WISE mission shows the Rosette nebula in the constellation Monoceros, or the Unicorn. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
In the Grip of the Scorpion Claw
Gripped in the claw of the constellation Scorpius sits the reflection nebula DG 129, a cloud of gas and dust that reflects light from nearby, bright stars. This infrared view of the nebula was captured by NASA ... More
Tiger Stripe Split Ends - NASA Cassini Huygens images
This image shows a high-resolution heat intensity map of part of the south polar region of Saturn moon Enceladus, made from data obtained by NASA Cassini spacecraft. NASA/JPL/GSFC/SWRI/SSI
Mars Rover Curiosity in Artist Concept, Wide
This artist concept features NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, a mobile robot for investigating Mars past or present ability to sustain microbial life. Curiosity is being tested in preparation for l... More
NASA Salt - NASA satellite images - Public domain map
NASA Aquarius instrument has produced its first global map of the salinity, or saltiness, of Earth ocean surface, providing an early glimpse of the mission anticipated discoveries. NASA/GSFC/JPL-Caltech
Mercury Globe: North Pole, NASA/JPL Mercury project images
Mercury Globe: North Pole NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Mickey Mouse Spotted on Mercury!
Mickey Mouse Spotted on Mercury! NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Panoramic View From Rocknest Position of Curiosity Mars Rover
The image, which has been white-balanced to show what the rocks and soils in it would look like if they were on Earth, is a mosaic of images taken at a site called Rocknest while NASA Mars rover Curiosity was w... More
NGC 3627: Revealing Hidden Black Holes
The spiral galaxy NGC 3627, located about 30 million light years from Earth as seen by four NASA telescopes; inset shows the central region, which contains a bright X-ray source that is likely powered by materi... More
Cassini Spies Bright Venus from Saturn Orbit
Peering over the shoulder of giant Saturn, through its rings, and across interplanetary space, NASA Cassini spacecraft spies the bright, cloudy terrestrial planet, Venus. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
NEOCam Sensor, JPL/NASA images. NASA public domain image colelction.
The NEOCam chip is the first megapixel sensor capable of detecting infrared wavelengths at temperatures achievable in deep space without refrigerators or cryogens. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Teledyne
Kouru, French Guiana - NASA satellite images
This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows the town of Kourou, which sits at the mouth of the Kourou River, French Guiana. NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
The Barred Sculptor Galaxy, JPL/NASA images
The spectacular swirling arms and central bar of the Sculptor galaxy are revealed in this new view from NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Storm of Stars in the Trifid Nebula
Radiation and winds from massive stars have blown a cavity into the surrounding dust and gas, creating the Trifid nebula, as seen here in infrared light by NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. NAS... More