People of NASA

Humanity at work

Rebuilt as a flexible publishing platform so your team can launch a richer, more modern version of the original page without touching code unless you want to.

Join the Team Honorary Crew

SpaceX completed missions: 699
NASA shuttle flights: 135
NASA astronauts selected: 370
Shuttle orbiters built: 6

Fictional noir comic art of Curiosity on a rainy New York street

NEW WEB VIDEO COMIC · CHAPTER ONE

The city that
wasn't Mars.

Curiosity lands in an imagined 1920s New York. Watch two short films and follow the rover's first mystery in a film-noir comic story.

Enter Curiosity Noir →

Fictional alternate-history story · AI-generated imagery and video

Concept illustration of an orbital ring circling Earth above the atmosphere

FEATURED PLANETARY INFRASTRUCTURE

The Ring That Could Open the Sky.

Explore how an actively supported ring around Earth could make space travel, global transport, clean energy, and research available on a new scale.

One ringAROUND EARTH

Moving coreACTIVE SUPPORT

Shared accessHUMAN BENEFIT

Explore the Earth Ring →

AI-generated concept • No orbital ring currently exists

Concept rendering of a nuclear-electric crew transport firing blue ion thrusters in deep space

Featured exploration concept

Beyond Chemical Rockets

See how nuclear-electric ion propulsion could move massive human spacecraft toward Mars, Jupiter, and Europa with sustained, fuel-efficient thrust.

~10×exhaust velocity

Monthsof steady thrust

Mars → Europainteractive routes

Explore Ion Propulsion

AI-generated mission concept • Not a current NASA vehicle

Speculative modular launch vehicle shedding reusable engine pods above Earth

NEW INDEPENDENT PROPULSION STUDY

Beyond
Super Heavy.

Explore a speculative launch architecture that replaces one giant booster with detachable engine-and-tank modules.

39PROPULSION PODS

SequentialSTAGING

SwarmRECOVERY

Explore the Atomizer Concept →

Independent concept • Not affiliated with or proposed by SpaceX

Concept visualization of the Curiosity rover descending beneath its Sky Crane on Mars

NEW MARS ENGINEERING FIELD GUIDE

Curiosity,
piece by piece.

Explore the one-ton rover from wheels to laser—and the rocket-powered Sky Crane that lowered it onto Mars.

899 kgLANDED ROVER

10INSTRUMENTS

8DESCENT ENGINES

Open the Technical Breakdown →

AI-generated engineering visualization • Not a historical photograph

Video ComicNEW

Curiosity Noir: The Wrong Landing

Watch Curiosity descend into an imagined 1920s New York, then follow its first mystery through film-noir comic panels.

MegastructureNEW

An Orbital Ring for Humanity

See how an actively supported ring could turn orbit into shared transportation, energy, research, and disaster-response infrastructure.

Archive Case 002NEW

Could the Shuttle Have Saved Skylab?

Follow NASA's funded race to reawaken, reboost, and reuse Skylab—and the schedule gap that doomed the rescue.

Concept StudyNEW

Beyond Super Heavy: The Atomizer

A speculative architecture with 39 detachable propulsion pods, sequential staging, and autonomous swarm recovery.

EngineeringNEW

Curiosity Rover, Piece by Piece

Explore the rover’s wheels, arm, power, computers, and 10 science instruments—then see how the Sky Crane delivered it to Mars.

FOIA ArchiveNEW

The Salyut 7 Retrieval File

Read NASA request 26-00719-F-JSC, its no-records determination, and an orbital-mechanics check of the Space Shuttle capture theory.

How-ToNEW

Request NASA Records with FOIA

Choose the right NASA office, define a searchable set of records, control fees, copy a proven request structure, and track the response.

HistoryNEW

Wernher von Braun: Space Legacy

Explore the engineering leadership behind Explorer 1, Marshall, and Saturn V—and the Nazi-era forced labor history that makes his legacy impossible to simplify.

FeaturedNEW

Ion Propulsion to Deep Space

Compare chemical and nuclear-electric propulsion, explore continuous-thrust routes, and see what it could take to carry humans to Mars and Europa.

LearnNEW

Live From Mars

Could someone livestream from Mars? Follow the delayed signal from a surface camera to relay orbiters, Earth antennas, and viewers at home.

LearnNEW

Nuclear Asteroid Defense

How a nuclear stand-off pulse could move a dangerous asteroid, why fragmentation is risky, and why early detection remains Earth's best defense.

LearnNEW

Space Hibernation

What torpor really is, why mission designers care, what NASA is studying, and why humans are not ready to sleep to Mars.

Badge MakerNEW

Dream NASA Role ID

Create and download an honorary mission badge for the NASA role you would choose.

LearnNEW

Ground-Based Laser Propulsion

How laser arrays on Earth could push light sails, energize spacecraft, and open faster routes through the Solar System.

ProfileNEW

Jim Washkau

A new aspiring NASA employee profile connecting space interest, government contracting exposure, and mission-aligned business experience.

DirectoryNEW

NASA Social Media

Every official NASA account on X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and more — plus all 10 NASA centers.

RecognitionNEW

Silver Snoopy Award

The honor NASA astronauts give to the people who keep them alive. Only 1% qualify each year. The pin has actually been to space.

HistoryNEW

Unflown NASA Concepts

Sea Dragon. Project Orion. X-33. DC-X. The rockets and spacecraft NASA designed, tested, and almost flew but never launched.

Live FeedNEW

Space News Feed

Real-time articles from NASA, SpaceX, ESA, and more. Filtered by mission, science, launches, and technology.

InfographicNEW

NASA Logo Through the Decades

What if NASA redesigned their logo every decade? Ten eras, one iconic mark.

InteractiveNEW

ISS Live Tracker

Watch the International Space Station pass over Earth in real time with live telemetry.

Simulator

ISS Docking Simulator

Guide a capsule into soft capture using thruster controls and careful alignment.

Simulator

Starship Orbit Simulator

Fly a Starship through ascent and hit every waypoint needed to reach parking orbit.

Interactive

Mars Relay AI

Simulate deep-space message delay, signal travel, and AI-assisted packet optimization.

Game

Deep Space Echo

Aim a message toward distant worlds and see if your signal holds across the cosmos.

Editorial

Europa Hopper Mission

A deep dive into the concept of a hopper exploring the icy moon of Jupiter.

New public-records guide

How to request NASA records with FOIA.

Turn a research question into a precise records request. Find the right office, set a fee limit, use a copyable template, and understand what happens after submission.

Open the FOIA Guide

REQUEST CHECKLIST

01Find the records
02Choose the NASA office
03Define dates and custodians
04Set fees or request a waiver
05Submit and save the tracking number

CASE FILE002PUBLIC ARCHIVE

NEW ARCHIVAL CASE FILE

Could the Space Shuttle have saved Skylab?

Follow NASA's funded race to reawaken, reboost, and reuse America's first space station—and the schedule gap that doomed the rescue.

Open the case file

CONFIRMED
PLAN

CASE FILE00126-00719-F-JSC

FOIA ARCHIVE

Did NASA consider retrieving Salyut 7?

The original request, NASA's no-records determination, a permanently redacted public PDF, and a careful look at what the response—and the orbital mechanics—actually establish.

Open the case file

NO RESPONSIVE
RECORDS

Honorary NASA Employees

Add your dream role to the mission.

Students, kids, adults, and lifelong dreamers can add themselves to the honorary crew and share the NASA role they would choose to help preserve life and keep the light on for future generations.

Join the Honorary Crew Generate Role ID

Human Exploration

Moon Habitat Builder

Design safe places for explorers to live and work beyond Earth.

Earth & Climate

Planet Protector

Study Earth from space so people can protect life at home.

Technology

Deep Space Signal Keeper

Keep missions connected as they travel farther into the unknown.

What We Do

NASA exists to preserve life by expanding what humanity understands about Earth, space, technology, and the fragile systems that keep us alive. Every mission is part of a longer promise: to learn enough, build enough, and share enough so future generations inherit more possibility than fear.

The work is not only exploration for its own sake. It is a duty to keep the light on, not just for ourselves, but for everyone who comes after us.

Preserve life

Study Earth, protect knowledge, and develop capabilities that help humanity endure.

Keep the light on

Carry discovery forward so the next generation receives tools, truth, and hope.

Serve the future

Make decisions for people we may never meet, but whose lives depend on what we safeguard today.

Life at NASA

Life at NASA is shaped by purpose, passion, and dedication to a cause larger than any one person. The daily work can be technical, administrative, creative, operational, or scientific, but underneath it is the same commitment: preserve life, expand knowledge, and keep the light on for those who come after us.

People come together across disciplines because the mission demands more than talent. It asks for care, patience, rigor, humility, and the willingness to serve a future most of us will never personally see.

Purpose-driven work tied to preserving life and advancing discovery
Passion for the mission across science, engineering, operations, and public service
Cross-disciplinary teams united by rigor, trust, and responsibility
Dedication to future generations who depend on what we protect today

Why NASA Matters

Preserve life, expand knowledge, and keep the light on for those who come after us.

NASA matters because it asks humanity to do more than survive the present. It asks us to protect life, deepen understanding, and build the tools, wisdom, and courage future generations will depend on. Every mission, from Earth science to deep-space exploration, is part of that promise.

Discover More

Play Starship Game

Take a break with a Flappy Bird-style Starship mini-game and chase a new high score.

Honorary Crew

Add yourself to the mission and imagine your dream role helping NASA protect life.

Dream NASA Role ID

Generate and download a personalized honorary badge for the NASA role you would choose.

Impact & Innovation

Understand the mission-critical foundation that guides NASA's most important decisions.

Women at NASA

Learn how women have shaped NASA's history and continue to carry the mission through science, engineering, leadership, and spaceflight.