NASA Open Science Online Courses 2026 [2 or 12 Hours; Certificate & Digital Badge]: Enrol Online

NASA is offering two self-paced online training options for students, researchers, managers and other learners interested in making scientific research more transparent, accessible and collaborative.

Learners can choose between the approximately 2-hour Open Science Essentials course and the more detailed, free Open Science 101 course, which contains five modules and takes approximately 12 hours to complete.

Both courses are available to learners outside NASA through NASA’s digital learning platform. Upon successful completion, learners are eligible to receive a digital badge and certificate.

No application deadline has been announced. Learners can create an account, enrol online and complete the selected course at their own pace.

Register for NASA Open Science Essentials.

Register for the free NASA Open Science 101 course.

NASA Open Science Online Courses 2026: Highlights

• Organisation: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• Training options: Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101
• Mode: Online
• Learning format: Self-paced
• Open Science Essentials duration: Approximately 2 hours
• Open Science 101 duration: Approximately 12 hours
• Open Science 101 structure: Five modules
• Course fee: Open Science 101 is free; the fee status of Open Science Essentials is not explicitly stated
• Eligible learners: Students, researchers, managers and members of the public
• Nationality restriction: Not specified
• Age limit: Not specified
• Certificate: Available upon successful completion
• Digital badge: Available upon successful completion
• Progress saving: Yes, course progress is saved between sessions
• Registration mode: Online through NASA STEM Gateway
• Deadline: No deadline announced

About NASA Open Science Training

Open science is an approach under which research data, information, methods, software and results are shared more openly with the scientific community and the wider public.

NASA’s training courses introduce learners to the principles, tools and ethical considerations involved in open research. The courses cover topics such as open data, open-source software, open peer review, research collaboration, licensing, repositories and the FAIR principles.

FAIR refers to making research outputs:

• Findable
• Accessible
• Interoperable
• Reusable

The courses may be useful for students beginning research projects, scholars working with data, faculty members, research managers and learners interested in transparent and collaborative science.

Available NASA Open Science Courses

1. Open Science Essentials

Open Science Essentials is a concise introductory course designed for learners seeking a broad overview of open science.

• Duration: Approximately 2 hours
• Level: Introductory
• Format: Standalone, self-paced online course
• Target learners: Students, researchers and managers
• Fee: Not explicitly specified in the official information
• Certificate and badge: Learners are eligible after successful completion

The course provides introductory knowledge of the principles, practices and tools needed to conduct open science.

Enrol in NASA Open Science Essentials.

2. Open Science 101

Open Science 101 provides a more detailed introduction to planning, conducting and participating in open-science research projects.

• Duration: Approximately 12 hours
• Structure: Five modules
• Approximate time per module: 2.5 hours
• Fee: Free
• Format: Self-paced online course
• Target learners: Researchers, students and the general public
• Certificate and badge: Learners are eligible after successful completion

NASA describes Open Science 101 as a comprehensive course covering practical implementation, ethics and best practices.

Enrol in the free NASA Open Science 101 course.

What Will You Receive?

After successfully completing either course, learners are eligible to receive:

• A digital certificate
• A digital badge

These credentials can be used to showcase successful completion of the training.

The official information does not specify:

• The exact assessment or passing requirements
• Whether there is a final examination
• Whether certificates expire
• How quickly the certificate and badge are issued
• Whether identity verification is required for certification

The certificate and badge are conditional on successful completion; simply registering for the course does not make a learner eligible for them.

Eligibility

NASA states that the courses are available to the public and its internal workforce through digital learning platforms.

Open Science Essentials

Learners outside NASA who can register include:

• Students
• Researchers
• Managers

Open Science 101

The course is available to:

• Students
• Researchers
• Members of the general public

Can Indian Students Apply?

The official NASA page does not state a nationality or country-of-residence restriction for public learners. It describes the training as available to the public and provides an external registration route for learners outside NASA.

Indian students can therefore check the public enrolment portal and register if the platform accepts their account details. No requirement to be a NASA employee has been stated for the public versions.

Eligibility Conditions Not Specified

NASA has not specified:

• A minimum or maximum age
• A required degree or educational qualification
• A compulsory field of study
• Prior research experience
• Minimum marks or GPA
• Citizenship requirements
• English-language test scores

Since the courses use scientific and research terminology, some familiarity with academic research may be helpful, but it is not listed as an eligibility condition.

Open Science Essentials Course Content

Lesson 1: Introduction to Open Science

Learners examine what open science means and understand its potential benefits.

Lesson 2: Barriers, Competition and Ethics

This lesson discusses common challenges in adopting open science, including institutional and social barriers, concerns about other researchers using work first, and data ethics.

Lesson 3: Open Science Framework

Learners study:

• Open-science workflows
• FAIR principles
• Open Science and Data Management Plans
• Roles within research projects

Lesson 4: Components of Open Research

This lesson introduces:

• Open data
• Open-source software
• Open research results

Lesson 5: Practical Open-Science Tools

Topics include:

• Persistent identifiers
• Open licences
• Research repositories
• Version control
• Pre-registration
• The role of artificial intelligence in open science

Open Science 101 Course Content

Module 1: Open-Science Practices

Learners examine open science, its current practices, benefits and challenges.

Module 2: Open-Science Fundamentals

This module covers:

• The Use, Make, Share framework
• FAIR principles
• Essential open-science tools

Module 3: Open Data

Learners explore practical methods for:

• Finding data
• Assessing data
• Creating open data
• Sharing data

Module 4: Open Code

This module explains how to apply open-science practices to code throughout its development lifecycle.

Module 5: Collaboration and Open Results

Learners study how to:

• Begin scientific collaborations
• Develop ethical contributor guidelines
• Discover and assess research results
• Publish and share results
• Credit contributors
• Integrate outputs into open-science and data-management plans

How to Enrol?

1. Choose between the shorter Open Science Essentials course and the more detailed Open Science 101 course.
2. Open the relevant NASA STEM Gateway course page.
3. Create an account or sign in.
4. Review the course description and enrolment information.
5. Register for the selected course.
6. Begin the online lessons.
7. Complete the course at your own pace.
8. Return to the platform between sessions as needed; progress will be saved.
9. Complete all requirements needed to become eligible for the digital badge and certificate.

Registration on the public platform is intended for learners outside NASA. NASA employees use the agency’s internal SATERN learning system.

Which Course Should You Choose?

Choose Open Science Essentials if:

• You want a short introduction.
• You have approximately two hours.
• You are new to open science.
• You want an overview before taking a longer course.

Choose Open Science 101 if:

• You want more detailed training.
• You can complete approximately 12 hours of learning.
• You want practical guidance on open data and open code.
• You are interested in research ethics and collaboration.
• You want to understand how open science applies across a research project.

Learners may begin with Open Science Essentials and subsequently complete Open Science 101, although NASA does not state that the shorter course is a compulsory prerequisite.

Important Information

• Both courses are online and self-paced.
• Course progress is saved between sessions.
• Registration requires an account on the relevant digital learning platform.
• Open Science 101 is explicitly described as free.
• The fee status of Open Science Essentials is not clearly stated on NASA’s training page.
• The digital badge and certificate require successful course completion.
• Enrolment alone does not provide a certificate.
• No registration deadline has been announced.
• No stipend, scholarship, academic credit or employment benefit has been specified.
• Completing the course should not be presented as guaranteeing a NASA internship, job or research position.

Deadline

No application or enrolment deadline has been announced.

The courses appear to be available on an ongoing basis. Because online availability can change, interested learners should check the live course page before planning their training.

Registration Links

Open Science Essentials

Register for the approximately 2-hour NASA Open Science Essentials course.

Open Science 101

Register for the free, approximately 12-hour NASA Open Science 101 course.

Official Course Information

Read the official NASA Open Science training information.

The shorter course can help first-time learners understand the basic language and structure of open science, while Open Science 101 offers a more practical introduction to research data, code, ethics and collaboration. Students should select the course according to the depth of training they need rather than assuming that either credential guarantees a NASA opportunity.