Access NASA Data and Analyze Images

NASA MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to NASA's public APIs, including Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD), Mars Rover Images, and Near Earth Objects (NEO) data.

Features

• Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): Get daily astronomy images with descriptions
• Mars Rover Images: Access photos from Mars rovers with various camera options
• Near Earth Objects (NEO): Retrieve asteroid data and close approach information
• Earth Images (EPIC): Get satellite images of Earth from NASA's DSCOVR satellite
• GIBS Satellite Imagery: Access high-resolution Earth imagery from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services
• GIBS Layers Information: Get details about available satellite imagery layers
• Image Analysis Tool: Fetch and analyze images from URLs with automatic processing and base64 conversion

Installation

Install the package from PyPI:

pip install nasa-mcp-server

Or using uvx (recommended for MCP usage):

uvx nasa-mcp-server

Setup

Get NASA API Key

1. Visit NASA API Portal
2. Generate your free API key
3. Keep the API key handy for configuration

VS Code Configuration

Add the following to your VS Code mcp.json configuration file:

{
  "servers": {
    "nasa-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["nasa-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "NASA_API_KEY": "YOUR_NASA_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_NASA_API_KEY_HERE with your actual NASA API key.

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration:

Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
macOS: ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nasa-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["nasa-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "NASA_API_KEY": "YOUR_NASA_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_NASA_API_KEY_HERE with your actual NASA API key.

Available Tools

1. get_apod - Astronomy Picture of the Day

Get stunning astronomy images with detailed descriptions from NASA's APOD service.

Parameters:

• date (YYYY-MM-DD): Specific date for APOD image (default: today)
• start_date (YYYY-MM-DD): Start date for date range (cannot be used with date)
• end_date (YYYY-MM-DD): End date for date range (default: today)
• count (int): Number of random images to retrieve (cannot be used with date parameters)

Example Usage:

• Get today's APOD: get_apod()
• Get APOD for specific date: get_apod(date="2024-01-15")
• Get APOD for date range: get_apod(start_date="2024-01-01", end_date="2024-01-07")
• Get 5 random APODs: get_apod(count=5)

2. get_mars_image - Mars Rover Images

Access photos taken by Mars rovers with various camera perspectives.

Parameters:

• earth_date (YYYY-MM-DD): Earth date when photo was taken (default: today)
• sol (int): Martian sol (day) of the rover's mission (default: 1000)
• camera (string): Camera type to use

Available Cameras:

• FHAZ: Front Hazard Avoidance Camera
• RHAZ: Rear Hazard Avoidance Camera
• MAST: Mast Camera
• CHEMCAM: Chemistry and Camera Complex
• MAHLI: Mars Hand Lens Imager
• MARDI: Mars Descent Imager
• NAVCAM: Navigation Camera
• PANCAM: Panoramic Camera
• MINITES: Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES)

Example Usage:

• Get images from today: get_mars_image()
• Get images from specific Earth date: get_mars_image(earth_date="2024-01-15")
• Get images from specific sol: get_mars_image(sol=500)
• Get images from specific camera: get_mars_image(camera="MAST")

3. get_neo_feed - Near Earth Objects

Retrieve information about asteroids and their close approaches to Earth.

Parameters:

• start_date (YYYY-MM-DD): Start date for asteroid search (default: today)
• end_date (YYYY-MM-DD): End date for asteroid search (default: 7 days after start_date)
• limit_per_day (int): Maximum number of asteroids to show per day (default: 2)

Note: Maximum date range is 7 days as per NASA API limitations.

Example Usage:

• Get next 7 days of NEO data: get_neo_feed()
• Get NEO data for specific date range: get_neo_feed(start_date="2024-01-15", end_date="2024-01-20")
• Limit results per day: get_neo_feed(limit_per_day=5)

4. get_earth_image_tool - Earth Images (EPIC)

Get satellite images of Earth from NASA's DSCOVR satellite using the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC).

Parameters:

• earth_date (YYYY-MM-DD): Date when the photo was taken (default: latest available)
• type (string): Type of image to retrieve
• limit (int): Number of images to retrieve (default: 1, max recommended: 10)

Available Image Types:

• natural: Natural color images (default)
• enhanced: Enhanced color images
• aerosol: Aerosol images
• cloud: Cloud images

Example Usage:

• Get latest Earth images: get_earth_image_tool()
• Get images for specific date: get_earth_image_tool(earth_date="2024-01-15")
• Get enhanced color images: get_earth_image_tool(type="enhanced")
• Get multiple images: get_earth_image_tool(limit=5)

5. get_gibs_image - GIBS Satellite Imagery

Access high-resolution satellite imagery of Earth from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS).

Parameters:

• layer (string): The imagery layer to fetch (default: "MODIS_Terra_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor")
• bbox (string): Bounding box as "min_lon,min_lat,max_lon,max_lat" (default: "-180,-90,180,90")
• date (YYYY-MM-DD): Date for the imagery (default: most recent available)
• width (int): Image width in pixels (default: 512, max recommended: 2048)
• height (int): Image height in pixels (default: 512, max recommended: 2048)
• format (string): Image format - "image/png" or "image/jpeg" (default: "image/png")
• projection (string): Coordinate system - "epsg4326" or "epsg3857" (default: "epsg4326")

Popular Imagery Layers:

• MODIS_Terra_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor: Terra satellite true color (default)
• MODIS_Aqua_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor: Aqua satellite true color
• VIIRS_SNPP_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor: VIIRS satellite true color
• MODIS_Terra_CorrectedReflectance_Bands721: Terra false color
• MODIS_Aqua_CorrectedReflectance_Bands721: Aqua false color
• Reference_Labels_15m: Political boundaries and labels
• Reference_Features_15m: Coastlines and water bodies
• MODIS_Terra_Aerosol: Aerosol optical depth
• MODIS_Terra_Land_Surface_Temp_Day: Land surface temperature

Example Bounding Boxes:

• World: "-180,-90,180,90"
• USA: "-125,25,-65,50"
• Europe: "0,40,40,70"

Example Usage:

• Get world imagery: get_gibs_image()
• Get USA true color imagery: get_gibs_image(bbox="-125,25,-65,50")
• Get false color imagery: get_gibs_image(layer="MODIS_Terra_CorrectedReflectance_Bands721")
• Get high-resolution imagery: get_gibs_image(width=1024, height=1024)
• Get imagery for specific date: get_gibs_image(date="2024-01-15")

6. get_gibs_layers - Available GIBS Layers

Get information about all available GIBS layers and their capabilities.

Parameters: None

Example Usage:

• Get all available layers: get_gibs_layers()

7. get_image_analyze - Image Analysis Tool

Fetch an image from a URL and convert it to base64 format for LLM analysis. This tool downloads images from any URL and processes them for analysis.

Parameters:

• image_url (string): The URL of the image to analyze (required)

Example Usage:

• Analyze an image from URL: get_image_analyze(image_url="https://example.com/image.jpg")
• Analyze NASA image: get_image_analyze(image_url="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2401/example.jpg")

Features:

• Automatic image format detection (PNG, JPEG, GIF)
• Image compression and resizing for optimal processing
• Base64 conversion for LLM analysis
• Support for various image formats and URLs
• Automatic RGB conversion for JPEG compatibility

** NOTE **
This tool returns a imagecontent. This is supported in only ** Claud 4 ** as of now. Other LLMs may not respond for image analysis.

Error Handling

The server includes comprehensive error handling for:

• Invalid date formats
• Network timeouts
• Invalid API keys
• NASA API-specific errors

Testing

The project includes a comprehensive test suite to ensure all MCP tools function correctly.

Quick Testing

# Run all tests
python test.py

# Run with verbose output
python test.py -v

# Setup test environment
python tests/setup_tests.py

Test Coverage

The test suite covers:

• All 7 MCP tools with various parameter combinations
• Error handling scenarios
• Integration workflows
• Async functionality

For detailed testing information, see tests/README.md.

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• NASA API key (free from NASA API Portal)
• Internet connection for API access

Links

• PyPI Package: https://pypi.org/project/nasa-mcp-server/
• NASA API Documentation: https://api.nasa.gov/
• MCP Documentation: https://modelcontextprotocol.io/

Developper

I am Adithya. I developped this package as part of the MIE internship project. Wanted to talk more, shoot me an email at adithyasn7@gmail.com