The Earth as seen from space.

Open Science at NASA

NASA is making a long-term commitment to building an inclusive open science community over the next decade. Open-source science is a commitment to the open sharing of software, data, and knowledge (algorithms, papers, documents, ancillary information) as early as possible in the scientific process.

Open Principles

The principles of open-source science are to make publicly funded scientific research transparent, inclusive, accessible, and reproducible. Advances in technology, including collaborative tools and cloud computing, help enable open-source science, but technology alone is insufficient. Open-source science requires a culture shift to a more inclusive, transparent, and collaborative scientific process, which will increase the pace and quality of scientific progress.

Open science Facts

Open Transparent Science
Scientific processes and results should be open such that they are reproducible by members of the community.

Open Inclusive Science
Process and participants should welcome participation by and collaboration with diverse people and organizations.

Open Accessible Science
Data, tools, software, documentation, and publications should be accessible to all (FAIR).

Open Reproducible Science
Scientific process and results should be open such that they are reproducible by members of the community.

Learn More About Open Science

NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS) initiative helps people understand and implement open science practices in their own work. This initiative created Open Science 101, a free online training course to give researchers, academics, and the public a practical working knowledge of open science principles. 

Take Open Science 101
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Why Do Open Science?

●  Broadens participation and fosters greater collaboration in scientific investigations by lowering the barriers to entry into scientific exploration
●  Generates greater impact and more citations to scientific results

Learn More About the Benefits of Open Science
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Open Science Features and Events

More Open Science Stories
A light blue circular graphic identifier, which contains stars, a satellite, and a DNA strand. A jagged graph line cutting through the middle of the circle represents NASA science data. Everything lies on a dark blue background.

OCSDO Releases Year in Review 2024 Newsletter

The Office of the Chief Science Data Officer (OCSDO) shared its annual accomplishments in promoting NASA science data discovery and innovation.

Read Year in Review
Clouds of purple, pink, blue, and white.

NASA Open Science Reveals Sounds of Space

A team from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory converts NASA astronomy data to sound, creating "sonifications" for more accessible science discovery.

Read Article
An image of Earth from space showing the swirling clouds of a hurricane forming over the ocean with a robotic arm extending from the International Space Station.

NASA AI, Open Science Advance Natural Disaster Research and Recovery

NASA's artificial intelligence weather models and open data practices help researchers monitor hurricanes and other disasters.

Read Article
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NASA Funds Open-Source Software Underpinning Scientific Innovation

NASA awarded $15.6 million to 15 projects supporting open-source tools, frameworks, and libraries used by the NASA science community.

Read Article

Explore Open Science at NASA

  • The Transform to Open Science logo, which shows a rocket shaped like a spinning top blasting off against a blue shield-shaped badge.

    Transform to Open Science (TOPS)

    Provides the visibility, advocacy, and community resources to support and enable the shift to open science.

  • A group of people watching a presentation.

    Open Science Funding

    NASA supports open science through call for new innovative programs, supplements to existing awards, and sustainability of software.

  • Two men wearing headsets and operating a bank of computers.

    The NASA Strategy for Open Science

    The Strategy for Data Management and Computing for Groundbreaking Science 2019-2024 was developed through community input and guides NASA’s approach to open science.

  • A presenter giving a Transform to Open Science talk.

    Scientific Information Policy

    The information produced as part of NASA’s scientific research activities represents a significant public investment. Learn more about how and when it should be shared.

  • Office of the Chief Science Data Officer

    The Office of the Chief Science Data Officer (OCSDO) works to advance transformative open science as part of its activities.

  • Image of Earth taken from space.

    Open Earth Science

    Learn about openly available science data and services provided by NASA's Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Program.

  • A close-up of Jupiter's cloud bands.

    Science Mission Directorate Science Data

    The Science Data Portal provides a comprehensive list of NASA science data repositories.

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

James Webb Space Telescope

The image is divided horizontally by an undulating line between a cloudscape forming a nebula along the bottom portion and a comparatively clear upper portion. Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes. The smallest of these are small, distant, and faint points of light. The largest of these appear larger, closer, brighter, and more fully resolved with 8-point diffraction spikes. The upper portion of the image is blueish, and has wispy translucent cloud-like streaks rising from the nebula below. The orangish cloudy formation in the bottom half varies in density and ranges from translucent to opaque. The stars vary in color, the majority of which have a blue or orange hue. The cloud-like structure of the nebula contains ridges, peaks, and valleys – an appearance very similar to a mountain range. Three long diffraction spikes from the top right edge of the image suggest the presence of a large star just out of view.

Perseverance Rover

Parker Solar Probe

Juno