NASA astronaut Andre Douglas raises an American flag as NASA astronaut Kate Rubins looks on during their first simulated moonwalk in a week-long field test consisting of four simulated moonwalks and six advanced technology runs in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona. (Photo: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)
In celebration of the talented photographers who work with NASA, the space agency has announced the winners of its 2024 Photographer of the Year competition. From striking portraits of astronauts to advances in the Artemis project, these photos tell the stories that are unfolding as NASA continues to explore outer space.
Photographer Josh Valcarcel is a standout in the awards, with six photographs selected for their high quality. Whether documenting training exercises or shooting portraits of astronauts like Nichole “Vapor” Ayers and Zena Cardman, his skills behind the lens help bring a whole new dimension to NASA's work.
Photographers were awarded in different categories—People, Portrait, Documentation, and Places—with Valcarcel winning all but the Places category, effectively making him the Photographer of the Year. Other standouts include Michael DeMocker‘s view of an August 2024 supermoon next to a spacecraft at the Marshall Space Flight Center, which won the Places category, and his image of a rocket core getting prepped for shipment.
Seeing the variety of imagery captured by these NASA photographers is a testament to the skills required to work for NASA. Moving seamlessly from astrophotography to portraiture to documentary photography, the public owes them a debt of gratitude for helping reveal the inner workings of the space agency.
NASA has revealed the winning images of its 2024 Photographer of the Year competition.
This photo shows NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, preparing the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for shipment at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. (Photo: NASA/Michael DeMocker)
NASA astronaut Zena Cardman at the NASA Johnson Space Center photo studio. (Photo: Josh Valcarcel – NASA – Johnson Space Center)
NASA astronaut Andre Douglas wears AR (Augmented Reality) display technology during a nighttime advanced technology run in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona. (Photo: Josh Valcarcel – NASA – Johnson Space Center)
Engineers and Technicians from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center crawl under the PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) spacecraft to inspect the +X side during payload processing at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, FL (Photo: Denny Henry)
NASA astronaut Zena Cardman inspects her suit’s wrist mirror at the NASA Johnson Space Center photo studio. (Photo: Josh Valcarcel – NASA – Johnson Space Center)
A supermoon rises over Huntsville, Alabama, home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. (Photo: NASA/Michael DeMocker)
Production Photography of Lunar Terrain Vehicle Ground Test Unit (Photo: NASA / Bill Stafford and Helen Arase Vargas)
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins conducts a tool audit to ensure she has all of her tools while NASA astronaut Andre Douglas reviews procedures during a nighttime simulated moonwalk in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona. (Photo: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)
NASA astronaut Nichole “Vapor” Ayers at the NASA Johnson Space Center photo studio. (Photo: Josh Valcarcel – NASA – Johnson Space Center)
Chris Henze demonstrates the newly upgraded hyperwall visualization system to Center Director Eugene Tu, Deputy Center Director David Korsmeyer, and NAS Division management in N258. (Photo: Brandon Torres)
The NASA T-34 Plane, waiting to take flight inside the NASA Glenn Research Center Hangar. (Photo: NASA/GRC/Jef Janis)
