Explore NASA’s Software Catalog: Free Downloads for Technical Applications

NASA offers hundreds of free software programs for a wide range of technical applications, from aeronautics to environmental science. The 2023-2024 Software Catalog contains more than 1,000 codes written by NASA engineers and organised by discipline. These codes are available for download from the NASA Software Catalog website. Here are some examples of the Agency-wide programs in each category and their intended use.

• Aeronautics: NASA’s aeronautics software covers various aspects of aircraft design, analysis, testing, and operation. For example, FUN3D is a computational fluid dynamics code that can simulate complex aerodynamic flows around aircraft and spacecraft. OpenVSP is a parametric vehicle geometry tool that can create 3D models of aircraft and export them to other analysis software.
• Autonomous Systems: NASA’s autonomous systems software enables the development and operation of intelligent systems that can perform tasks without human intervention. For example, ROAMS is a rover simulation environment that can model the dynamics, sensors, and terrain interactions of planetary rovers. Plexil is a plan execution language and framework that can control autonomous systems in dynamic and uncertain environments.
• Business Systems and Project Management: NASA’s business systems and project management software supports the planning, execution, and evaluation of NASA projects and missions. For example, NASA Cost Estimating Handbook is a comprehensive guide that provides methods, tools, and data for estimating the cost of NASA projects. NASA Risk Management Handbook is a best-practice guide that provides a systematic approach to identifying, analyzing, and mitigating risks in NASA projects.
• Crew and Life Support: NASA’s crew and life support software helps ensure the health, safety, and performance of astronauts in space. For example, BioSentinel is a biosensor system that can monitor the physiological status of astronauts in real time. BioSleeve is a wearable device that can recognize gestures and commands from muscle signals.
• Data and Image Processing: NASA’s data and image processing software enables the acquisition, processing, analysis, and visualization of various types of data and images from NASA missions and experiments. For example, NASA Worldview is an interactive web application that allows users to explore global satellite imagery from NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System. ISIS3 is an image processing software that can manipulate and analyse images from planetary missions.
• Data Servers Processing and Handling: NASA’s data servers processing and handling software provides the infrastructure and services for storing, managing, distributing, and accessing NASA data. For example, Earthdata Search is a web application that allows users to discover, visualize, and download data from NASA’s Earth science data archives. Cumulus is a cloud-based system that ingests, archives, distributes, and manages NASA’s Earth observation data.
• Design and Integration Tools: NASA’s design and integration tools software facilitates the creation, integration, testing, and verification of complex systems. For example, OpenMDAO is an open-source framework that can perform multidisciplinary design optimisation of engineering systems. ModelCenter is a software integration platform that can automate the execution of complex workflows involving multiple tools.
• Electronics and Electrical Power: NASA’s electronics and electrical power software supports the development and operation of electronic devices and power systems for NASA missions. For example, SPICE is a circuit simulation program that can model the behaviour of electronic circuits under various conditions. Hybrid Power Management is a software system that can optimise the performance and efficiency of hybrid power sources such as solar panels, batteries, fuel cells, etc.
• Environmental Science: NASA’s environmental science software enables the study and monitoring of Earth’s natural systems and processes. For example, Giovanni is an online tool that allows users to analyze and visualize Earth science data from various sources. LandSlide Viewer is a web application that allows users to identify areas of moderate to high landslide hazard based on rainfall data.
• Materials and Processing: NASA’s materials and processing software supports the development and characterization of new materials for NASA applications. For example, NASGRO is a fracture mechanics and fatigue crack growth analysis tool that can predict the life of metallic structures under various loading conditions. MAPTIS is a materials properties database system that contains data on various aerospace materials.
• Operations: NASA’s operations software supports the planning, scheduling, execution, and evaluation of NASA missions and activities. For example, STK is a modelling and simulation tool that can analyse the performance of space systems such as satellites, rockets, etc… DSN Now is a web application that shows the real-time status of NASA’s Deep Space Network, which communicates with spacecraft beyond Earth orbit.
• Propulsion: NASA’s propulsion software supports the design, analysis, testing, and operation of propulsion systems for NASA missions. For example, NPSS is a simulation tool that can model the performance of various types of propulsion systems such as jet engines, rockets, etc… CEA is a chemical equilibrium and thermodynamics program that can calculate the properties of combustion products and rocket propellants.
• Structures and Mechanisms: NASA’s structures and mechanisms software supports the design, analysis, testing, and operation of structural and mechanical systems for NASA missions. For example, NASTRAN is a finite element analysis program that can perform static, dynamic, thermal, and nonlinear analysis of structural systems. FAST is a flexible multibody dynamics simulation tool that can model the dynamics of wind turbines and other rotating machinery.