NASA MCP Server
Server Configuration
Describes the environment variables required to run the server.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASA_API_KEY | Yes | Your NASA API key (get at api.nasa.gov) |
Instructions
Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.
This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.
Capabilities
Server capabilities have not been inspected yet.
Tools
Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| nasa_apodC | Fetch NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day |
| nasa_neoC | Near Earth Object Web Service - information about asteroids |
| nasa_epicC | Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera - views of Earth |
| nasa_gibsC | Global Imagery Browse Services - satellite imagery |
| nasa_cmrC | NASA Common Metadata Repository - search for NASA data collections |
| nasa_firmsD | NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System - fire data |
| nasa_imagesC | NASA Image and Video Library - search NASA's media archive |
| nasa_exoplanetC | NASA Exoplanet Archive - data about planets beyond our solar system |
| nasa_donkiD | Space Weather Database Of Notifications, Knowledge, Information |
| nasa_mars_roverC | NASA Mars Rover Photos - images from Mars rovers |
| nasa_eonetC | Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker - natural events data |
| nasa_powerD | Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources - meteorological data |
| jpl_sbdbC | Small-Body Database (SBDB) - asteroid and comet data |
| jpl_fireballC | Fireball data - atmospheric impact events |
| jpl_jd_calC | Julian Day number to/from calendar date/time converter |
| jpl_nhatsC | Human-accessible NEOs (Near-Earth Objects) data |
| jpl_cadC | Asteroid and comet close approaches to the planets in the past and future |
| jpl_sentryC | JPL Sentry - NEO Earth impact risk assessment data |
| jpl_horizonsC | JPL Horizons - Solar system objects ephemeris data |
| jpl_horizons_fileC | JPL Horizons - Solar system objects ephemeris data (File Input) |
| jpl_periodic_orbitsD | JPL Three-Body Periodic Orbits Database |
| nasa_osdr_filesC | NASA OSDR - Get data files for an OSD study |
| jpl_scoutB | Scout - NEOCP orbits, ephemerides, and impact risk data |
Prompts
Interactive templates invoked by user choice
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| nasa/get-astronomy-picture | Fetch NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day with optional date selection |
| nasa/browse-near-earth-objects | Find near-Earth asteroids within a specific date range |
| nasa/view-epic-imagery | Browse Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera views of Earth |
| jpl_query-small-body-database | Search the Small-Body Database for asteroids and comets matching specific criteria |
| jpl_find-close-approaches | Find close approaches of asteroids and comets to Earth or other planets |
| jpl_get-fireball-data | Retrieve data about fireballs detected by US Government sensors |
| apod-daily | Get NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day with a natural language prompt |
Resources
Contextual data attached and managed by the client
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Astronomy Picture of the Day (2023-01-01) | |
| EPIC Earth View (2023-01-01) | |
| Near Earth Objects (2023-01-01) | |
| nasa-apod-image | NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day |
| nasa-epic-image | NASA EPIC Earth observation image |
| mars-rover-photo | NASA Mars Rover photograph |
| nasa-image | NASA Image and Video Library item |
| nasa-gibs-imagery | NASA Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) satellite image |
| jpl-asteroid-data | JPL Small-Body Database entry |
| nasa-earth-imagery | NASA Earth Landsat satellite imagery |
TDQS
Scored across 23 tools
Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose targeting specific NASA data sources or services, with no overlap in functionality. For example, jpl_sbdb provides asteroid/comet data, while nasa_apod fetches daily astronomy images, and nasa_firms offers fire data—all serve unique roles.
Tool names follow a highly consistent pattern with a clear prefix (jpl_ or nasa_) indicating the source, followed by a descriptive identifier (e.g., cad, fireball, apod). This structured naming makes it easy to identify and categorize tools by domain and origin.
With 23 tools, the count is slightly high but reasonable given the broad scope of NASA's diverse data services. It covers multiple domains like astronomy, Earth science, and space weather without being excessive, though it may feel heavy for some use cases.
The tool set provides comprehensive coverage across NASA's data offerings, including astronomy (apod, exoplanet), Earth observation (eonet, epic, firms), solar system objects (jpl tools), and specialized services (donki, power). No obvious gaps exist for accessing NASA's public data resources.