NASA’s Fourth Annual ‘Photographer of the Year’ Winners Include Johnson Photographers

In today’s digital age, photos posted to sites like Instagram and Flickr often tell the stories of the human experience in ways that words cannot. For NASA, conveying its awe-inspiring endeavors and missions would be infinitely more difficult without the aid of stunning photography to back it up.

For 2021, photographers from NASA’s Johnson Space Center were prominently featured for their award-winning shots, showing — not telling — the pivotal moments documenting human space exploration for this generation and the ones to come.

Congratulations to Johnson photographers Norah Moran, Josh Valcarcel, and Bill Stafford!

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim wearing a high-altitude pressure suit worn in the WB-57 aircraft, which is capable of flying at altitudes over 60,000 feet. Credits: NASA/Norah Moran

First place

Click the tweet to scroll through a carousel of first-place images.

Second place

Click the tweet to scroll through a carousel of second-place images.

Third place

Click the tweet to scroll through a carousel of third-place images.

Click for an album of 2021 ‘Photographer of the Year’ images (available for download at various resolutions).