ASTER Paris - NASA satellite images
The Eiffel Tower and its shadow can be seen next to the Seine in the left middle of this ASTER image of Paris. Based on the length of the shadow and the solar elevation angle of 59 degrees, we can calculate its... More
Tuktoyuktuk Up Close - Mars exploration rover images
Tuktoyuktuk Up Close NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Tests to Help Plan Opportunity Moves
Rover engineers check how a test rover moves in material chosen to simulate some difficult Mars driving conditions. The scene is inside the In-Situ Instrument Laboratory at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasad... More
Preparation on Earth for Drilling on Mars
The development of the Mars rover Curiosity capabilities for drilling into a rock on Mars required years of development work. Seen here are some of the rocks used in bit development testing and lifespan testing... More
Spirit Studies Rock Outcrop at Home Plate
This image shows two flat-topped, layered rocks with angular edges almost side by side, except they are separated by a smaller rock and two thin channels of reddish-brown sand. The bare rock surfaces are a ligh... More
Looking Up - NASA Saturn images
The Cassini spacecraft gazes upward at the face of giant Saturn, seeing beyond the equator to where ring shadows fall across the bluish northern latitudes NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Dunes on Plains, 2001 NASA Mars Odyssey images
These dunes are located on the plains around Doanus Vallis as seen by NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. NASA/JPL/ASU
Opportunity View on Sols 1803 and 1804 Polar
Opportunity View on Sols 1803 and 1804 Polar NASA/JPL-Caltech
First JATO assisted Flight, NASA history collection
Full Description: Take-off of America's first "rocket-assisted" airplane, an Ercoupe fitted with a GALCIT developed solid propellent 28 pound thrust JATO (Jet Assisted Take-Off) booster. The Ercoupe took off fr... More
JATO Flight Test Crew, NASA history collection
(August 12, 1941) Flight test crew for the Jet Assisted Take-Off (JATO) experimental solid rocket booster. It was later refered to as RATO (Rocket Assisted Take-Off). From left to right are: F.S. Miller, J.W. P... More
Former Administration Building, NASA history collection
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. Building 11, one of the oldest b... More
The Tow Channel, NASA history collection
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. During World War II, the Jet Pro... More
The Gulch, NASA history collection
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. At the northeast end of the Jet ... More
A Snowy Entrance, NASA history collection
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This photograph from 1949 shows ... More
Bumper V-2 Launch, NASA history collection
(July 24, 1950) A new chapter in space flight began in July 1950 with the launch of the first rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida: the Bumper 8. Shown above, Bumper 8 was an ambitious two-stage rocket program t... More
Opportunity Surroundings on Sol 1950 Polar
NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity used its navigation camera to take the images combined into this 360-degree polar view of the rover surroundings on the 1,950th Martian day, or sol, of its surface missio... More
Salton Sea, California - NASA satellite images
The Salton Sea in south California was created in 1905 when spring flooding on the Colorado River breached a canal. For 18 months the entire volume of the river rushed into the Salton Trough, creating a lake 32... More
JPL From Above, 1950, NASA history collection
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This aerial image of the Jet Pro... More
Fargo, North Dakota, USA, NASA history collection
Why does Fargo flood? The Red River of the North, which forms the border between North Dakota and Minnesota, has a long history of severe floods. Major floods include those of 1826, 1897, 1950, 1997, and now 20... More
Age-Defying Star, NASA history collection
An age-defying star called IRAS 19312+1950 exhibits features characteristic of a very young star and a very old star. The object stands out as extremely bright inside a large, chemically rich cloud of material,... More
Juno Listens to Jupiter Auroras Sing
During its close flyby of Jupiter on August 27, 2016, the Waves instrument on NASA's Juno spacecraft received radio signals associated with the giant planet's very intense auroras. This video displays these ra... More
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
Low Angle Impacts: A Look at Qi Baishi and Hovnatanian
This NAC image shows Qi Baishi and Hovnatanian, two craters that were newly named in November 2008. Qi Baishi is named for the famous Chinese painter who died in 1957. Hovnatanian is named for the nineteenth ce... More
Welcome to JPL, 1957, JPL/NASA images
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL’s past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This is what greeted visitors to... More
Explorer I Architects, JPL/NASA images
The three men responsible for the success of Explorer 1, America's first Earth satellite which was launched January 31, 1958. At left is Dr. William H. Pickering, former director of JPL, which built and operate... More
Pioneer III Probe, JPL/NASA images
Looking more like surgeons, these technicians wearing cleanroom attire inspect the Pioneer III probe before shipping it to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Pioneer III was launched on December 6, 1958 aboard a Juno II ... More
JPL's Hypersonic Wind Tunnel, JPL/NASA images
In September of 1959, JPL held a press conference to celebrate the opening of its new $3,500,000 hypersonic wind tunnel, the third wind tunnel built at JPL from 1947 to 1959. A JPL engineer is shown positioning... More
Goldstone Tracking the Echo Satelloon.
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL’s past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This photograph shows the fi... More
JPL Key Figures, JPL/NASA images
Full Description: (c. 1960) Left to right: Dr. William H. Pickering, former JPL Director, Dr. Theodore von Karman, JPL co-founder and Dr. Frank J. Malina, co-founder, and first director of JPL...Identifier GPN-... More
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers off-load NASA's Genesis spacecra...
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- Workers off-load NASA's Genesis spacecraft which arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility at 3:30 a.m. aboard an Air Force C-17 aircraft.; Lockheed Martin Astronautics built the Gen... More
Aerial View of JPL, JPL/NASA images
An aerial view of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California and the surrounding San Gabriel Mountains...Image # : p39727cc
Block Island Meteorite on Mars, Sol 1961 False Color
This view of a rock called Block Island, the largest meteorite yet found on Mars, comes from the panoramic camera Pancam on NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
Block Island Meteorite on Mars, Sol 1961 Stereo
Composition measurements by NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity confirm that this rock on the Martian surface is an iron-nickel meteorite. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Corne... More
Checking Out Venus, JPL/NASA images
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. This image shows engineers at NA... More
Kennedy Receives Mariner 2 Model
(1961) Dr. William H. Pickering, (center) JPL Director, presenting Mariner spacecraft model to President John F. Kennedy, (right). NASA Administrator James Webb is standing directly behind the Mariner model. Th... More
Mariner 2 Artist Concept, JPL/NASA images
NASA Mariner 2 was the world first successful interplanetary spacecraft. Launched August 27, 1962, on an Atlas-Agena rocket, Mariner 2 passed within about 34,000 kilometers 21,000 miles of Venus. NASA/JPL
Mission Control, 1964, JPL/NASA images
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. When spacecraft in deep space "p... More
Atlantis Region on Mars - Mariner 4
Atlantis Region on Mars - Mariner 4 NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
First Image of the Moon taken by a U.S. Spacecraft
Ranger 7 took this image, the first picture of the Moon by aU.S. spacecraft, on 31 July 1964 at 13:09 UT 9:09 AM EDT about 17 minutes before impacting the lunar surface. NASA/JPL
First TV Image of Mars Hand Colored
A real-time data translator machine converted Mariner 4 digital image data into numbers printed on strips of paper. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Dan Goods
Mariner Crater - NASA Mars images
Mariner Crater NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Shiveluch Volcano, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
On the night of June 4, 2001, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) captured this thermal image of the erupting Shiveluch volcano. Located on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, S... More
Mariner photos presented to President Johnson
Description: (July 29, 1965) Dr. William H. Pickering, (left) Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory presents Mariner spacecraft photos to President Lyndon Baines Johnson...Identifier GPN-2000-000480
Return to "Giant's Footprint" 3 Decades After Mariner 7 Flyby
As we head into the 21st Century, it seems hard to believe that human beings have been sending spacecraft toward Mars for more than 3 decades already. The first spacecraft to reach Mars was Mariner 4 in 1965. T... More
JPL Administration Building, JPL/NASA images
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. The Administration Building of N... More
Lithium Mining, Nevada - NASA satellite images
This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows the once-abandoned mining town of Silver Peak, Nevada, which began to thrive again when Foote Mineral Company began extracting lithium from brine below the floor of C... More
Cresent Europa, NASA / JPL Europa Image
(September 12, 1996) This mosaic of Europa, the smallest Galilean satellite, was taken by Voyager 2. This face of Europa is centered at about the 300 degree meridian. The bright areas are probably ice deposits,... More
Surveyor 5 Footpad Resting on the Lunar Soil
Surveyor 5 image of the footpad resting in the lunar soil. The trench at right was formed by the footpad sliding during landing. Surveyor 5 landed on the Moon on 11 September 1967 at 1.41 N, 23.18E in Mare Tran... More
Surveyor 5: A Hole-in-One. NASA public domain image colelction.
Surveyor 5 sitting in a 10-meter diameter crater. Surveyor 5 landed on Mare Tranquillitatis in September of 1967. This image was taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Surveyor 6 on the Plains of Sinus Medii
Surveyor 6 casting 18-meter long shadow with Sun just 8° above the horizon. Surveyor 6 Landed 10 November 1967 in Sinus Medii. This image was taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State... More
1st Manned Lunar Landing and 1st Robotic Mars Landing Commemorative Re...
NASA Viking 1 landing site is shown in this commemorative image from NASA Mars Odyssey spacecraft to celebrate the July 20, 1969 and 1976 anniversaries of NASA Apollo 11 and Viking 1 landings on the Moon and Ma... More
Yankee Clipper Crater on Mars. NASA public domain image colelction.
This mosaic is a view from NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity of Yankee Clipper crater which carries the name of the command and service module of NASA 1969 Apollo 12 mission to the moon. NASA/JPL-Caltech
1st Manned Lunar Landing and 1st Robotic Mars Landing Commemorative Re...
This NASA Mars Odyssey image of NASA Viking 1 landing site was taken to commemorate the anniversaries of NASA Apollo 11 landing on the Moon and Viking 1 landing on Mars -- July 20, 1969 and July 20, 1976, respe... More
Mars full disk approach view from Mariner 7
Mars full disk approach view from Mariner 7 NASA/JPL
Yankee Clipper Crater on Mars Stereo
Yankee Clipper crater on Mars carries the name of the command and service module of NASA 1969 Apollo 12 mission to the moon. NASA Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded this stereo view on Nov. 4, 2010. 3D... More
Pioneer 10 Trajectory. NASA public domain image colelction.
This image, drawn in 1970, is an artist's rendering of the Pioneer 10 spacecraft trajectory, with the planets labeled and a list of the instruments that were intended to be flown. Before the use of computer ani... More
Shadegan, Iran - NASA satellite images
The town of Shadegan, Iran is northeast of where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers enter the Persian Gulf. It sits near a wetland and upon land that was once part of an inland river delta. The long, linear orchar... More
The So-Called Face, 2001 NASA Mars Odyssey images
The so-called Face on Mars can be seen slightly above center and to the right in this NASA Mars Odyssey image. This 3-km long knob was first imaged by NASA Viking spacecraft in the 1970 and to some resembled a ... More
Urbanization: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - NASA satellite images
Riyadh, the national capital of Saudi Arabia, is shown in 1972, 1990 and 2000. Its population grew in these years from about a half million to more than two million. Saudi Arabia experienced urbanization later ... More
Luna 16, JPL/NASA images. NASA public domain image colelction.
Luna 16 was the first robotic mission to land on the Moon on basaltic plains of Mare Fecunditatis and return a sample to the Earth. It was launched by the Soviet Union on 12 September 1970. This image was taken... More
Translucent Rings - NASA Saturn images
Although solid-looking in many images, Saturn's rings are actually translucent. In this picture, we can glimpse the shadow of the rings on the planet through (and below) the A and C rings themselves, towards th... More
Another Look at Atget, JPL/NASA images
Another Look at Atget NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Deposits along the Northern Wall of Melas Chasma
It has been known since the 1970s when the Viking orbiters took pictures of Mars that there are large (i.e., several kilometers-thick) mounds of light-toned deposits within the central portion of Valles Mariner... More
Soviet Union Lunar Rovers - NASA Rover images
This image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows Soviet robotic lander Luna 17 still sitting on Mare Imbrium where it delivered the Lunokhod 1 Rover in November 1970. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Odyssey/White Rock, 2001 NASA Mars Odyssey images
These Mars Odyssey images show the White Rock feature on Mars in both infrared left and visible right wavelengths. White Rock is the unofficial name for this landform that was first observed during NASA Mariner... More
2016 Resembles Past Global Dust Storm Years on Mars
This graphic indicates a similarity between 2016 (dark blue line) and five past years in which Mars has experienced a global dust storm (orange lines and band), compared to years with no global dust storm (blue... More
Landscape West of Bosporos Rupes
This image was taken in the mid-latitudes of Mars' southern hemisphere near the giant Argyre impact basin. It is located just to the west of a prominent scarp known as Bosporos Rupes. The left side of the image... More
Mariner 9 views Canyon System emerging from Martian Dust Storm
Mariner 9 views Canyon System emerging from Martian Dust Storm NASA/JPL
Mariner 9 View of Arsia Silva. NASA public domain image colelction.
Mariner 9 View of Arsia Silva NASA/JPL
South Pole as viewed by Mariner 9 on Mars Approach
South Pole as viewed by Mariner 9 on Mars Approach NASA/JPL
Nix Olympica Identified by Mariner 9 on Mars Approach
Nix Olympica Identified by Mariner 9 on Mars Approach NASA/JPL
Mariner 9 views Ascraeus Lacus above the Martian Dust Storm
Oblique view of the crater complex near Ascraeus Lacus in the Tharsis region of Mars was taken by Mariner 9. It is the northernmost of the prominent dark spots observed by Mariner during its approach to the pla... More
Mariner 9 views of shield volcano
Mariner 9 views of shield volcano NASA/JPL Public domain photograph of planet Mars surface, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Mariner 9 views Olympus Mons standing above the Martian Dust Storm
Mariner 9 views Olympus Mons standing above the Martian Dust Storm NASA/JPL
South Polar Cap of Mars as seen by Mariners 9 & 7
South Polar Cap of Mars as seen by Mariners 9 & 7 NASA/JPL
Sinuous Ridge Materials in Reuyl Crater
There are some interesting erosional signs in this observation from NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will make for a good comparison with other intracrater fans and fluvial sedimentary landforms. We can... More
Soviet Union Lunar Sample Return Missions
On February 21, 1972, Luna 20 soft landed in the rugged highlands between Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Crisium. The Luna 20 descent stage still sits silently on the Moon, clearly visible in this image taken by NA... More
Voyager First Science Meeting, Voyager Program, NASA/JPL Photo
This archival image was released as part of a gallery comparing JPL's past and present, commemorating the 80th anniversary of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Oct. 31, 2016. In December 1972, the science st... More
210' Dish Antenna at Goldstone Ca - used in tracking Pioneer spacecraf...
210' Dish Antenna at Goldstone Ca - used in tracking Pioneer spacecraft
Deep Space Antenna 210' at Goldstone, CA (JPL ref: P-116594AC) ARC-19...
Deep Space Antenna 210' at Goldstone, CA (JPL ref: P-116594AC)
Luna 21 Lander - NASA Rover images
Luna 21 lander delivered the Lunokhod 2 rover to the floor of Le Monnier crater in January 1973. This image taken by NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter also shows the rover tracks. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Crater Rim Offset 10 Kilometers by Scarp
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows a scarp upper left corner of the image about 130 kilometers long cutting two craters older crater is at extreme left corner, younger is ... More
Old Basin Filled by Smooth Plains
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows an old basin hummocky rim is partly degraded and cratered by later events. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University
Ridges and Fractures on Floor of Caloris Basin
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, includes part of the floor of the Caloris basin showing the ridges and fractures. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University
Intercrater Plains and Heavily Cratered Terrain - First Encounter
Intercrater plains and heavily cratered terrain typical of much of Mercury outside the area affected by the formation of the Caloris basin are shown in this image taken during the NASA Mariner 10 first encounte... More
Curved Lobate Scarp on Crater Floor
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows a broadly curved lobate scarp running from left to right in the large crater to the right of center in this image. NASA/JPL/Northweste... More
Scarps Confined to Crater Floors
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows several scarps, which appear to be confined to crater floors. The scarp in the crater at the upper left of the image has been diverted b... More
Mercury Southern Hemisphere - Mercury Mariner 10 Image
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, is of the southern hemisphere of Mercury. NASA/JPL
South Pole - Ridges, Scarps, Craters
A cratered area near Mercury South Pole was photographed by NASA Mariner 10 during its second flyby of the planet of Sept. 21, 1974 the spacecraft made its first encounter with Mercury on March 19, 1974. NASA/J... More
Lineated Terrain - Mercury Mariner 10 Image
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, was taken during the spacecraft first encounter with Mercury. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University
Crater Rim Offset 10 kilometers by Scarp-High Resolution
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, is a high-resolution picture of a 65-kilometer diameter crater and the scarp transecting its floor. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University
Antoniadi Ridge - Mercury Mariner 10 Image
Antoniadi Ridge, over 450 kilometers long, runs along the right side of this acquired image during NASA Mariner 10 first encounter with Mercury after its launch in 1974. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University
Mercury: Photomosaic of the Michelangelo Quadrangle H-12
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, is of the Michelangelo Quadrangle, which lies in Mercury southern polar region. The Mercurian surface is heavily marred by numerous impact cra... More
Small Craters Peppering South Polar Region
During its second encounter with Mercury on Sept. 21, 1974, NASA Mariner 10 took this picture of the planet South Polar Region. Many of the craters have denuded rims peppered by smaller craters. NASA/JPL/Northw... More
Hilly and Lineated Terrain - Mercury Mariner 10 Image
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows hilly and lineated terrain and a patch of smooth plains in a large degraded crater. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University
Field of Bright Rays - Mercury Mariner 10 Image
A field of bright rays, created by ejecta from a crater, radiating to the north top from off camera lower right is seen in this view of Mercury taken Sept. 21, 1974 by NASA Mariner 10. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University
Mercury: Beethoven Quadrangle, H-7
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, is of the H-7 Beethoven Quadrangle, and lies in Mercury Equatorial Mercator. NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft imaged the region during its initial f... More
Large Circular Basin Flooded and then Cratered
As NASA Mariner 10 passed by Mercury on its second encounter with the planet on Sept. 21, 1974, this picture of a large circular 350 kilometer, 220 mile diameter basin was obtained near the morning terminator. ... More
Lobate Scarps within the Hummocky Plains East of Caloris Basin
This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows that several west-facing lobate scarps occur in the hummocky plains interpreted as Caloris ejecta. NASA/JPL/Northwestern University