Suggested Searches

A museum exhibit with colorful signs and displays in shades of blue, purple, and black. In the foreground, a stylized model of the solar system features a flat, red circle mounted horizontally near the ceiling, with graceful arched supports containing text about the Earth and Sun, and shiny red loops curving out from the Sun's red circle.
A close-up of a museum exhibit on Earth observation, showing three types of soil in glass cases with fake plants "growing" in them. On the left, a fake cactus stand in tan, fine-grained soil under the label "Desert Profile"; in the center box, fake grasses stand in coarser, green-brown soil labeled "Grassland Profile"; and in the right-most box, a fake fern grows in loosely packed brown leaf litter labeled "Forest Profile". Above the boxes, orange and white text stretches across a brown wall panel.
A model of the Hubble Space Telescope, a silver cylinder with an instrument arm sticking out from its center, hangs from a black ceiling in front of a lit mural of blue, purple and white galaxies.

Goddard Permanent Exhibits

Learn more about the permanent displays and exhibits at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center!

Exhibits and Speakers at NASA about Goddard Permanent Exhibits

Heliophysics: “Exploring the Spaces Between”

A museum exhibit with colorful signs and displays in shades of blue, purple, and black. In the foreground, a stylized model of the solar system features a flat, red circle mounted horizontally near the ceiling, with graceful arched supports containing text about the Earth and Sun, and shiny red loops curving out from the Sun's red circle.
The new heliophysics exhibit, called “Exploring the Spaces Between” reveals the many hidden and surprising ways our Sun affects everything in our solar system, including Earth. Visitors are invited to follow the journey of a solar particle, “hear” the solar wind, feel the protective resistance of Earth’s magnetic shield, watch the magnificent glow of the northern lights, and much more.
NASA

The new heliophysics exhibit, called “Exploring the Spaces Between” reveals the many hidden and surprising ways our Sun affects everything in our solar system, including Earth. Visitors are invited to follow the journey of a solar particle, “hear” the solar wind, feel the protective resistance of Earth’s magnetic shield, watch the magnificent glow of the northern lights, and much more. Through multisensory, immersive experiences, the exhibit invites visitors to a new appreciation of the many ways we are connected to our closest star.

Solar System Exploration: “Beyond”

Wall panels from a colorful space museum exhibit line the walls of a large room with tall windows and skylights, a black ceiling, and gray carpet. The panels feature colorful photos of galaxies, nebulas, and spacecraft landing on the Moon and Mars.
“Beyond,” the theme of Goddard’s planetary exhibit, is a metaphor for striving and exploring and pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. This exhibit shows that asking questions and working in teams are important to NASA’s exploration of the universe. Visitors can use all of their senses to explore the origins of all planets, the variety of bodies in the solar system, and the boundaries of life.
NASA

The image shows a portion of the new Beyond exhibit at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. This exhibit shows that asking questions and working in teams are important to NASA’s exploration of the universe.

“Beyond,” the theme of Goddard’s planetary exhibit, is a metaphor for striving and exploring and pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. This exhibit shows that asking questions and working in teams are important to NASA’s exploration of the universe. Visitors can use all of their senses to explore the origins of all planets, the variety of bodies in the solar system, and the boundaries of life. Visitors can study rocks from space, use their sense of smell to identify solar system objects, and use computer modeling to build exoplanets (planets orbiting stars beyond our Sun).

Space Communications and Navigation

A photo of a museum exhibit, showing a tall black box with screens displaying information about space communications and navigation, with photos of Earth and text on the sides. A wall with glowing images of numerous stars is in the far background, with other exhibits partly visible.
The NASA Goddard Visitor Center’s Space Communications Exhibit.
NASA

As humans venture farther into the solar system than ever before, how will they maintain contact with Mission Control and even loved ones here on Earth?

At the Space Communications exhibit, find a hidden message to learn about the different kinds of energy that connect astronauts with Earth. Choose messages to send to NASA spacecraft, and see what happens when they are blocked by clouds and interference. Finally, play games for all ages and expand your learning with an engaging, interactive touchscreen. 

GLOBE Hall

A close-up of a museum exhibit on Earth observation, showing three types of soil in glass cases with fake plants "growing" in them. On the left, a fake cactus stand in tan, fine-grained soil under the label "Desert Profile"; in the center box, fake grasses stand in coarser, green-brown soil labeled "Grassland Profile"; and in the right-most box, a fake fern grows in loosely packed brown leaf litter labeled "Forest Profile". Above the boxes, orange and white text stretches across a brown wall panel.
The four-station GLOBE Hall exhibit encourages visitors to participate in NASA Earth science through the GLOBE Program. The first station offers an overview of GLOBE and describes how anyone may become involved as a citizen scientist. Each of the remaining stations focus on different Earth “spheres,” and includes a description of the science, information about what you can do as a citizen scientist and how that benefits NASA science.
NASA

This four-station exhibit encourages visitors to participate in NASA Earth science through the GLOBE Program. The first station offers an overview of GLOBE and describes how anyone may become involved as a citizen scientist. Each of the remaining stations focus on different Earth “spheres,” and includes a description of the science, information about what you can do as a citizen scientist and how that benefits NASA science.

Neighborhood Earth

A young Black girl wearing a white tank top opens a silver door in a wall-mounted museum exhibit, holding a purple phone with white earbuds plugged into her ears. The exhibit discusses ocean life on Earth, and the silver door opens like a refrigerator to an exhibit about food. A Black woman wearing a black and green dress looks on.
Neighborhood Earth Opening at the Visitor Center

Your backyard is a lot bigger than you may think. Discover how all of Earth is one connected neighborhood when you look at it from NASA’s viewpoint in space. Explore our home planet like a NASA scientist, with satellite technology providing clues about the life, air and water around us.

The James Webb Space Telescope

A space museum exhibit showing a replica of one of the James Webb Space Telescope's reflective hexagonal mirrors. Normally gold, in this image the mirror segment clearly reflects the colorful nebula and galaxy images on the wall behind it. The mirror is mounted on a circular blue platform printed with darker blue hexagons, and purple panels with text and graphics stand behind the mirror.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be a giant step forward in the quest to understand our place in space. Launched in December of 2021, Webb was built right here at Goddard. Learn more about this exciting mission through an interactive 3-D tour and see what you look like in infrared light.
NASA

The James Webb Space Telescope will be a giant step forward in the quest to understand our place in space. Launched in December of 2021, Webb was built right here at Goddard. Learn more about this exciting mission through an interactive 3-D tour and see what you look like in infrared light.

Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe, connecting the big bang to our own Milky Way galaxy. It will peer through dusty clouds to see forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own solar system.

Learn More about the James Webb Space Telescope

Solarium

An excitedly smiling child appears silhouetted in profile against the backdrop of an image of the Sun, its surface curving across the screen from left to right and a bright yellow loop erupting from its red and yellow swirling surface. Space is black behind the Sun, and the Sun's corona appears as a diffuse red glow along its edge.
Solarium — an innovative new piece of video art — puts you directly in the heart of this mesmerizing show. The art taps into a vast reservoir of imagery from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
NASA

Experience the sun as never before. Featuring the same footage that NASA scientists use to study the sun, Solarium is an immersive, large-scale digital art installation that is a perfect marriage of art and technology. Through careful editing and data processing, Solarium transports viewers over glowing loops and stunning explosions of plasma on the sun’s surface. Viewed this way, the sun becomes simultaneously awe-inspiring and soothing – offering a brief departure from our modern, frenetic lifestyles.

Learn More about the Solarium

Hubble Space Telescope

A model of the Hubble Space Telescope, a silver cylinder with an instrument arm sticking out from its center, hangs from a black ceiling in front of a lit mural of blue, purple and white galaxies.
Learn how the Hubble Space Telescope – in orbit since 1990 – studies planets, galaxies, stars and our universe.
NASA

Learn how the Hubble Space Telescope – in orbit since 1990 – studies planets, galaxies, stars and our universe.

Learn More About Hubble

Goddard Rocket Garden and Astrobiology Walk 

A conical Apollo-era capsule sits outdoors at the edge of a paved area, surrounded by a slightly elevated blue catwalk. The capsule is silver and leans slightly to the right. Placards with text and graphics are mounted on the catwalk's railing. Grass and green trees are further back in the background, as well as a small black-and-red rocket with a white nose cone.
This is a model of the Apollo Command Module, which carried a total of 27 astronauts to lunar orbit aboard nine missions between 1968 and 1972. Launched by a Saturn V rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, the Command Module was the only part of the spacecraft recovered at the end of a mission.
NASA

Visit this unique collection of space artifacts showcasing rockets from Goddard’s history. Then, explore the Astrobiology Walk, which explains Goddard’s role in probing the origins of life in our world, in our solar system and in the deep reaches of space.

Open year-round.

Learn More About the Rocket Collection

Learn More About Astrobiology

JPSS/GOES-R: Orbits Interweave

Credits: Music credit: “Favor” from Universal Production Music Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Located on the outer edge of the Rocket Garden, a new exhibit by the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program, together with the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R (GOES-R) Series program, features an abstract kinetic sculpture with three mirrored orbs representing the Sun, Earth and the satellites that are activated by the wind. JPSS and GOES-R are part of a collaboration between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. Learn about these missions’ roles in weather forecasting and how they help us in our everyday lives.

JPSS WeatherStats AR Experience

Learn about the satellites that monitor extreme weather and climate change in this immersive AR app. We’ll challenge you to complete a series of missions, which will start with an interactive journey into space where you’ll see the satellites orbiting Earth and view all of their instruments up close. Guests can play the app’s six challenges found throughout the main exhibit gallery.

Learn More About JPSS

Learn More About GOES-R

The Goddard Moon Tree

Located in the traffic circle in front of the Visitor Center, this sycamore tree flew as a seed aboard Apollo 14 as part of a joint project between NASA and the U.S. Forest Service.

More Information and List of Known Moon Trees

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Goddard Space Flight Center

Requests for Exhibits, Artifacts, or Speakers

Downloadable Exhibits