In the 1960s NASA was working toward landing humans on the Moon. They wanted to convey their goal to the American public through the eyes of artists, as a way to engage a wider audience to learn about the space program. In 1962, NASA established the NASA Art Program to do just that.
During the Apollo era, the NASA Art Program gave artists unrestricted access to NASA's facilities. They believed that artistic interpretations of NASA's achievements with human spaceflight would offer compelling narratives aside from newspaper or television coverage.
Over the years, the artists in the program have been witnesses to space history. They have documented key events, including the first Moon missions. Their art shows both the thrill and trials of space travel.
The Origins of the NASA Art Program
Established by James Webb as the NASA Artist's Cooperation Program, the NASA Art Program began with just 8 artists. It was modeled after the U.S. Air Force’s art program. NASA Administrators still needed to sell the idea that traveling to the Moon was a possibility to the tax-paying American public, who would be footing the bill. Webb hoped that commissioning these works of art would help communicate the cultural significance of the space program’s initial advancements.
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Depicting the Early Days of Human Spaceflight at NASA
The NASA Art Program sought to pull back the curtain at NASA's facilities. During the Gemini and Apollo programs artists portrayed a variety of activities related to the development of human spaceflight—from donning spacesuits and operations in mission control to more personal and quiet moments—like astronauts enjoying their breakfast the morning before a launch.
Chrystal Jackson, United States
Watching the Gemini 10 Launch, 1966
While artists in NASA's Art Program painted rockets and astronauts, Jackson revealed the culture at Florida’s Cape Canaveral. Her 1966 sketch is a time capsule of fashion and technology. The woman in blue is an astronaut’s wife. The man in the cowboy hat is a NASA visitor. The bracelet (top right) with rockets and space capsules was sold in local shops.
Paul Calle, United States
Untitled, (Breakfast on the Morning of Apollo 11), 1969
On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts had breakfast together before the first mission to land on the Moon. Paul Calle portrayed them as ordinary people, not as heroes as seen in the news. He was the only artist to sketch the astronauts at breakfast before blasting off to the Moon.
The Collection Comes to the Museum
In 1974, James Dean, the program's founding director, left NASA to become the National Air and Space Museum's first official art curator. He facilitated the initial transfer of approximately 2,000 works from the NASA Art Program, greatly enriching the Museum’s art collection.
The NASA Art Program After the Apollo Era
Much like NASA's human spaceflight programs, the NASA Art program continues to develop over time—with works representing the evolving narrative of space exploration. While it has been more intermittent since its peak during the Gemini and Apollo programs the program remains committed to its original mission: to interpret the story of space exploration through the lens of art.
The program has produced around 3,000 works. The most recent art was commissioned in 2024. Thanks to the early work of committed staff like James Dean, all of the works are held jointly by NASA and the National Air and Space Museum.
Henry Casselli, United States
John Young Checking Pressure Suit, 1981
Veteran astronaut John Young commanded the first Space Shuttle flight, STS-1. The artist depicts him alone, surrounded by darkness. The image may suggest the enormous pressure of leading such an important mission.
