NASA Mars Rovers Photos API
Retrieve rover photos filtered by sol, Earth date, and camera.
OpenAPI Specification
openapi: 3.0.3
info:
title: NASA Mars Rover Manifests Photos API
description: 'REST API providing images captured by NASA''s Curiosity, Opportunity, Spirit, and Perseverance Mars rovers. Photos can be queried by Martian sol (day since landing), Earth date, and camera type. Mission manifest data is available per rover with landing dates, launch dates, rover status, and per-sol photo breakdowns.
'
version: 1.1.2
contact:
name: NASA APIs Team
url: https://api.nasa.gov/
license:
name: Public Domain (U.S. Government Work)
url: https://www.usa.gov/government-works
servers:
- url: https://api.nasa.gov/mars-photos/api/v1
description: NASA Open APIs production server
security:
- apiKeyQuery: []
tags:
- name: Photos
description: Retrieve rover photos filtered by sol, Earth date, and camera.
paths:
/rovers/{rover}/photos:
get:
operationId: getRoverPhotosBySol
summary: Get rover photos by sol or Earth date
description: 'Retrieve photos taken by a Mars rover. Photos may be filtered by Martian sol, Earth date, and/or camera type. One of `sol` or `earth_date` is required.
'
tags:
- Photos
parameters:
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/rover'
- name: sol
in: query
description: 'Martian rotation (sol) on which photos were taken, counting from the rover''s landing date (sol 0). Cannot be combined with `earth_date`.
'
schema:
type: integer
minimum: 0
example: 1000
- name: earth_date
in: query
description: 'Earth date on which photos were taken, formatted as YYYY-MM-DD. The earliest date available is the rover''s landing date. Cannot be combined with `sol`.
'
schema:
type: string
format: date
example: '2015-06-03'
- name: camera
in: query
description: 'Filter photos by camera abbreviation. Not case sensitive. Valid values vary by rover; see documentation for per-rover camera tables.
'
schema:
type: string
example: FHAZ
- name: page
in: query
description: Page number of results (25 photos per page).
schema:
type: integer
minimum: 1
default: 1
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/apiKey'
responses:
'200':
description: A list of photos matching the query parameters.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/PhotosResponse'
example:
photos:
- id: 424905
sol: 1000
camera:
id: 20
name: FHAZ
rover_id: 5
full_name: Front Hazard Avoidance Camera
img_src: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/01000/opgs/edr/fcam/FLB_486615455EDR_F0481570FHAZ00323M_.JPG
earth_date: '2015-05-30'
rover:
id: 5
name: Curiosity
landing_date: '2012-08-06'
launch_date: '2011-11-26'
status: active
'400':
description: Bad request — missing required parameter or invalid values.
'403':
description: Forbidden — invalid or missing API key.
/rovers/{rover}/latest_photos:
get:
operationId: getRoverLatestPhotos
summary: Get the most recent photos for a rover
description: 'Returns photo data for the most recent Martian sol on which photos exist for the specified rover.
'
tags:
- Photos
parameters:
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/rover'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/apiKey'
responses:
'200':
description: The latest photos for the rover.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/LatestPhotosResponse'
'403':
description: Forbidden — invalid or missing API key.
components:
schemas:
LatestPhotosResponse:
type: object
properties:
latest_photos:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Photo'
Photo:
type: object
description: A single rover photo record.
properties:
id:
type: integer
description: Unique photo identifier.
example: 424905
sol:
type: integer
description: Martian sol on which the photo was taken.
example: 1000
camera:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Camera'
img_src:
type: string
format: uri
description: URL of the full-resolution image.
example: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/01000/opgs/edr/fcam/FLB_486615455EDR_F0481570FHAZ00323M_.JPG
earth_date:
type: string
format: date
description: Earth date on which the photo was taken.
example: '2015-05-30'
rover:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/RoverSummary'
RoverSummary:
type: object
description: Summary rover metadata embedded in photo records.
properties:
id:
type: integer
example: 5
name:
type: string
example: Curiosity
landing_date:
type: string
format: date
example: '2012-08-06'
launch_date:
type: string
format: date
example: '2011-11-26'
status:
type: string
description: Current mission status.
enum:
- active
- complete
example: active
PhotosResponse:
type: object
properties:
photos:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Photo'
Camera:
type: object
description: Camera metadata attached to a photo record.
properties:
id:
type: integer
example: 20
name:
type: string
description: Camera abbreviation.
example: FHAZ
rover_id:
type: integer
example: 5
full_name:
type: string
description: Full human-readable camera name.
example: Front Hazard Avoidance Camera
parameters:
rover:
name: rover
in: path
required: true
description: Name of the Mars rover.
schema:
type: string
enum:
- curiosity
- opportunity
- spirit
- perseverance
example: curiosity
apiKey:
name: api_key
in: query
required: false
description: NASA API key. Use DEMO_KEY for testing.
schema:
type: string
default: DEMO_KEY
example: DEMO_KEY
securitySchemes:
apiKeyQuery:
type: apiKey
in: query
name: api_key
externalDocs:
description: NASA Open APIs Documentation
url: https://api.nasa.gov/#MarsPhotos