nasa-mcp-server 0.1.17

MCP server for NASA Mars Rover 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

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()

Error Handling

The server includes comprehensive error handling for:

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

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/

Support

For issues and support, please visit the package repository or NASA API documentation for API-related questions.

License

This project uses NASA's public APIs. Please refer to NASA's API terms of service for usage guidelines.

Developper

I am Adithya. I developped this package as part of the internship project. Wanted to talk more, shoot me an email at [e-mail]