Frequently Asked Questions

Collected here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions we have received from visitors to the JSC Digital Image Collection.

QUESTIONS:

Where can I get prints and high-resolution scans of this imagery?

I would like to use some of the imagery from the Digital Image Collection. Do I need special permission? What are NASA's rules for using this imagery?

Where can I find more NASA imagery?

Do you have any publication-quality versions of the images on this site?

Are high-resolution versions of these images available on the Digital Image Collection?

What is a "fuzzy match"?

I saw in a magazine a composite picture of the entire Earth at night with city lights? Where can I get that picture?

Where can I find space-related educational resources?

Where can I find the latest Shuttle or International Space Station mission information?

ANSWERS:

Where can I get prints and high-resolution scans of this imagery?

The images on this web site are available for free download. However, NASA is not able to supply prints and other photographic products directly to the general public. However, the JSC Media Resource Center coordinates with some local commercial photographic labs that do offer NASA imagery products to the public. More information on this service is available on the Purchasing Prints and Scans page.

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I would like to use some of the imagery from the Digital Image Collection. Do I need special permission? What are NASA's rules for using this imagery?

All of the imagery on this site is public domain. There are, however, a few restrictions on its use you should be aware of. Some general guidelines on the use of NASA imagery are available on this site. Additional important information on NASA's usage policy can be found at:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/policies.html.

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Where can I find more NASA imagery?

Please check out our list of other NASA Imagery Web sites for our suggestions!

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Do you have any publication-quality versions of the images on this site?

No. All images on this site are in JPEG format (a lossy, compressed format), and scanned at 640x480 resolution and 72 DPI. This quality of image is unsuitable for most publication needs. Uncompressed, high-resolution scans are usually required for commercial publications, and such files are far too large to host on this site.

Some of NASA's other Imagery Web sites have high-resolution JPEG files that could possibly be used for publication. If you don't find what you need, you may need to purchase what you need from a commercial lab.

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Are high-resolution versions of these images available on the Digital Image Collection?

No. Due to the extremely large file size of uncompressed high-resolution images, we are unable to provide on-line access to them. However, some of NASA's other Imagery Web sites have high-resolution imagery available.

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What is a "fuzzy match"?

When you search by NASA Photo ID, the search engine first tries to find the exact ID in the database. If the photo is found, only that photo is returned in the search results. The exact match search is fairly forgiving, and accounts for minor variations like an extra or missing leading zero. Chances are good that if the search engine fails an exact match, the photo isn't in the collection.

If the exact ID is not found, the search engine then makes one more attempt to find your ID, by breaking the ID you specified into pieces and trying ID variations. For example, a search for "AS06-02-147" will not find an exact match, so the search engine tries variations that include "AS06", "06", "02", "147", etc. Occasionally, this kind of "fuzzy matching" results in only a few results, one of which is the correct one. More often, fuzzy matching generates a lot of results, many of which appear to have nothing to do with your original search. When a fuzzy match is performed, it will be indicated in the title of the search results page.

If your ID search returns a fuzzy match and you don't find what you need, try a keyword search instead. If you still need help, contact the Curator for assistance.

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I saw in a magazine a composite picture of the entire Earth at night with city lights. Where can I get that picture?

A high-resolution image is available from NASA's Planetary Photojournal at:
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA02991

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Where can I find space-related educational resources?

NASA Education Program - http://education.nasa.gov/
NASA's Education homepage serves as the cyber-gateway to information regarding educational programs and services offered by NASA for educators and students across the United States. This high-level directory of information provides specific details and points of contact for all of NASA's educational efforts and Field Center Offices.

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Where can I find the latest Shuttle or International Space Station mission information?

NASA Human Space Flight Web - http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
One of NASA's flagship Web sites, the Human Space Flight Web hosts current mission information for both the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, NASA news releases and status reports, archival mission information, a large library of reference material, a multimedia gallery containing the latest training and on-orbit video, audio, and imagery, and much more.

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