NASA Media Scraper — Images, Videos & Metadata

NASA Media Scraper searches NASA's Image and Video Library and returns clean, structured data for every matching asset — images, videos and audio with full metadata. Search by keyword, narrow by media type and year range, and export the results to JSON, CSV, Excel or XML. Built for researchers, educators, content teams, media libraries and automation workflows that need NASA imagery and metadata at scale.

What does this NASA scraper do?

Type a search term, set a couple of optional filters, and it returns one clean row per asset:

• Search across titles, descriptions and keywords — e.g. apollo 11, mars rover, nebula or earth from space.
• Filter by media type — images, videos or audio, or leave it open to get all three.
• Filter by year range — restrict results to assets created between two years.
• Paginate automatically — the actor walks through result pages until it reaches your item limit.

What data can you get?

Field	Description
nasaId	Unique NASA identifier for the asset.
title	Title of the image, video or audio clip.
description	Full caption / description text.
mediaType	image, video or audio.
dateCreated	When the asset was created.
center	The NASA center credited (e.g. JSC, KSC, JPL).
keywords	List of subject keywords.
photographer	Photographer or creator, when credited.
thumbnailUrl	Direct link to a preview thumbnail.
assetUrl	Best available media link (full-resolution image, video or audio file).
url	Public NASA library page for the asset.

What you get

Each asset is one clean dataset record. Export the full table to JSON, CSV, Excel or XML, or pull it programmatically through the Apify API.

{
  "nasaId": "jsc2007e034221",
  "title": "Apollo 11 spacecraft pre-launch",
  "description": "Personnel atop the 402-ft. Mobile Service Structure look back at the Apollo 11 spacecraft as the tower is moved away during a Countdown Demonstration Test.",
  "mediaType": "image",
  "dateCreated": "1969-07-11T00:00:00Z",
  "center": "JSC",
  "keywords": ["Apollo", "Apollo 11", "Launch"],
  "photographer": null,
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/jsc2007e034221/jsc2007e034221~medium.jpg",
  "assetUrl": "https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/jsc2007e034221/jsc2007e034221~orig.jpg",
  "url": "https://images.nasa.gov/details/jsc2007e034221"
}

Use cases

• Build a searchable NASA image or video gallery for a website or app.
• Source high-resolution space imagery for articles, videos and presentations.
• Assemble teaching materials and datasets for classrooms and research.
• Feed NASA thumbnails and metadata into a media or asset dashboard.
• Automate space-content pipelines that pull fresh imagery on a schedule.

How to use the NASA Media Scraper

1. Add the NASA Media Scraper to your Apify account and open its input.
2. Enter a search query (the only required field).
3. Optionally pick a media type and a year range.
4. Set Max items to control how many assets you pull.
5. Click Run, then export the results as JSON, CSV, Excel or XML — or fetch them via the Apify API.

Input

{
  "query": "apollo 11",
  "mediaType": "image",
  "maxItems": 100
}

Field	Description
query	Search term across titles, descriptions and keywords. Required.
mediaType	image, video, audio, or leave empty for all types.
yearStart	Only include assets created in or after this year. Optional.
yearEnd	Only include assets created in or before this year. Optional.
maxItems	Maximum number of assets to return.

FAQ

What media does the library cover? Photos, videos and audio spanning decades of NASA missions, spacecraft, astronauts, planets and deep-space imagery, credited to centers such as JSC, KSC and JPL.

Can I get full-resolution files? Yes. Each row includes a thumbnailUrl for previews and an assetUrl that points to the best available full-resolution image, video or audio file.

How do I narrow my results? Combine a keyword with a media type and a year range. Lower the Max items limit for quick, cheap test runs and raise it to pull a large set.

What export formats are supported? JSON, CSV, Excel and XML, plus programmatic access through the Apify API.

How does billing work? You pay per item you get, so cost scales with the number of assets you actually collect. See the Pricing tab for current rates.

Can I use this with n8n? Yes. Run the NASA Media Scraper from n8n with the Apify node — trigger a run, pass your query and filters, and read the dataset items straight into your workflow. It also works with Make, Zapier and the Apify API.

Can I connect this to other tools? The NASA Media Scraper connects with almost any cloud service or web app thanks to integrations on the Apify platform. It works with Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, GitHub, Google Drive and many more, plus the Apify API, JavaScript/Python clients and MCP. Or use webhooks to trigger an action whenever a run finishes.

Notes

Original clean-room implementation. Reads only publicly available media and metadata. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to NASA. NASA content is generally free to use; review NASA's media usage guidelines before republishing.