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NASA Open Science Training is NASA’s online training in open science: how to share research data, code and results so that other people can find, check and reuse them. As of November 2026, NASA offers two self-paced courses: Open Science Essentials, a 2-hour overview, and Open Science 101, a 5-module course of about 12 hours. Both are open to learners outside NASA, and NASA states that learners who complete them successfully are eligible for a digital badge and certificate.
This guide is written from NASA’s official training page, last updated by NASA on 7 October 2026. It separates what NASA actually publishes from what the many reposts of this course claim, and it flags the details NASA does not state, most importantly the exact pass requirement for the certificate.
Key Highlights
| Feature | Open Science Essentials | Open Science 101 |
| Provider | NASA | NASA |
| Length | About 2 hours, 5 lessons | About 12 hours, 5 modules of about 2.5 hours each |
| Level | Introductory overview | In-depth: practice, ethics and best practices |
| Cost | No fee mentioned by NASA | Free (stated by NASA) |
| Who NASA names | Managers, researchers and students outside NASA | Researchers, students and the general public |
| Format | Self-paced online, progress saved | Self-paced online, progress saved |
| Credential | Digital badge and certificate on successful completion | Digital badge and certificate on successful completion |
| Pass requirement | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Deadline | None published | None published |
| Enrol at | NASA STEM Gateway | NASA STEM Gateway |
About NASA Open Science Training
NASA defines open science as “a collaborative culture enabled by technology that empowers the open sharing of data, information, and knowledge within the scientific community and the wider public to accelerate scientific research and understanding.” The training is published on NASA Science (science.nasa.gov) as part of NASA’s open science work, alongside its open data and software initiatives.
Open Science 101 was developed under NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS) initiative. In a January 2025 notice, NASA described TOPS as providing “training materials for researchers, students, and citizen scientists” and said Open Science 101 “prepares researchers in applying for NASA funding.” That notice is an explanation of usefulness, not a funding rule: NASA’s current training page does not say the course is required for any grant or job.
The same 2025 notice mentioned instructor-led virtual and in-person sessions. NASA’s current training page describes only the self-paced online versions, and the old TOPS website that listed workshop dates no longer loads, so treat instructor-led sessions as not confirmed by the official source for 2027.
Which Course Should You Take?
NASA built the two courses for different readers, and choosing correctly saves you 10 hours or gives you the depth you need.
- Take Open Science Essentials — if you want a quick introduction, manage researchers rather than doing research yourself, or simply want the badge with a 2-hour commitment.
- Take Open Science 101 — if you are a Master’s or PhD student, early-career researcher or data professional who needs to plan a project, write a data management plan or publish code properly.
- Take both — only if you want two badges. Going by NASA’s lesson and module lists, the topics overlap considerably, so Essentials adds little after Open Science 101.
What You Will Learn — Course Curriculum
Open Science Essentials (about 2 hours)
- Lesson 1 — what open science is and its benefits.
- Lesson 2 — common hurdles, including social and institutional barriers, fear of being “scooped”, and data ethics.
- Lesson 3 — the standard framework: workflow, FAIR principles, Open Science and Data Management Plans (OSDMP), and project roles.
- Lesson 4 — the core components of open research: open data, open-source software and open results.
- Lesson 5 — practical tools, including persistent identifiers, open licensing, repositories, version control, pre-registration and, in NASA’s words, “the role of super intelligence (SI)”.
Open Science 101 (about 12 hours)
- Module 1 — what open science is, current practices, and its benefits and challenges.
- Module 2 — open science fundamentals, including the “Use, Make, Share” framework, FAIR principles and essential tools.
- Module 3 — finding, assessing, making and sharing open data.
- Module 4 — practising open code throughout the software development lifecycle.
- Module 5 — starting scientific collaborations, writing ethical contributor guidelines, and publishing and crediting open results within open science and data management plans.
A small inconsistency in NASA’s own wording: the course is described as taking “approximately 12 hours”, while each of the five modules is said to take “approximately 2.5 hours”, which adds up to 12.5. Plan for 12 to 13 hours in total.
Cost, Certificate and Badge
| Item | What NASA states | Confirmed by NASA? |
| Open Science 101 fee | “This free, 5-module course” | Yes |
| Open Science Essentials fee | Available to the public; no fee mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Digital badge | Learners are eligible on successful completion | Yes |
| Certificate | Learners are eligible on successful completion | Yes |
| Pass mark or quiz format | Not published on the training page | Not mentioned |
| Academic credit | No credit or accreditation mentioned | Not mentioned |
Be precise about what this credential is. It is a NASA completion badge and certificate, not a university qualification or academic credit, and NASA does not claim otherwise. It is most useful as evidence of a specific skill on a CV, LinkedIn profile or graduate application, much like the badges from the Google AI free courses. If you need transferable university credit, the Elements of AI course is one of the few free options that offers it.
Eligibility and Prerequisites
- Outside learners — NASA states that “researchers and students outside of NASA can create an account and register” for Open Science 101, and names managers, researchers and students for Open Science Essentials. Open Science 101 is also described as for “the general public”.
- Nationality — no nationality restriction is stated on NASA’s training page. Not confirmed by the official source for STEM Gateway account creation.
- Age — no minimum age is stated on the training page.
- Prior knowledge — none stated. Open Science 101 is described as providing “a solid foundation”, so it starts from the basics.
- Language — NASA’s course pages are in English. No other language version and no English test requirement are mentioned.
- NASA employees — take the same courses through SATERN, NASA’s internal learning system, rather than STEM Gateway.
How to Enrol — Step by Step
Step 1: Choose your course
Decide between Essentials and Open Science 101 using the guidance above. Each has its own registration link on NASA’s training page.
Step 2: Create a NASA STEM Gateway account
Both links lead to NASA STEM Gateway (stemgateway.nasa.gov). Use a personal email address you will keep long term, so you can return to the course and your records later.
Step 3: Register for the course
Open the course page and register. NASA states that after enrolment you can complete the course at your own pace.
Step 4: Work through the modules
Progress is saved between sessions, so you can spread Open Science 101 over several weeks. Before you start, read the completion requirements shown on the platform, because NASA’s public page does not list them.
Step 5: Collect your badge and certificate
On successful completion, claim your digital badge and certificate and add them to your CV or LinkedIn profile.
Also Check
- 📌 Elements of AI 2027 | Free University of Helsinki AI Course with Free Certificate
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- 📌 MIT Free Online Courses 2026 | Learn from MIT for Free
- 📌 Harvard University Free Online Courses 2026 with Certificates
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is NASA Open Science Training free, and is the certificate free?
Open Science 101 is free. NASA calls it “this free, 5-module course”. NASA’s training page mentions no fee for Open Science Essentials or for the badge and certificate. Any outside site charging you to enrol is not NASA.
2. When can I enrol, and is there a deadline?
Enrolment is open, with no closing date published. Both courses are self-paced, and NASA states your progress is saved between sessions. When we last updated this article, both registration links were working.
3. Can people outside the United States take this NASA course?
NASA states that researchers and students “outside of NASA” can register, and describes Open Science 101 as for the general public. No nationality restriction appears on NASA’s training page, but NASA does not explicitly confirm international eligibility for STEM Gateway accounts, so treat it as not confirmed by the official source until you create your account.
4. How do I enrol in NASA Open Science 101?
Go to NASA’s Open Science Trainings page, click Register For Open Science 101, create a NASA STEM Gateway account, and register for the course. NASA employees use SATERN instead.
5. What could stop me from getting the badge and certificate?
Not completing the course to NASA’s standard. NASA says learners are eligible for the badge and certificate “upon successful completion”, but the training page does not state the pass mark or assessment format. Check the requirements on the course platform before you start, especially if you need the certificate by a fixed date.
6. What is the difference between Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101?
Essentials is a 2-hour overview of open science concepts in five lessons. Open Science 101 is a 5-module, roughly 12-hour course covering practical execution, ethics and best practices for data, code and results. Choose Essentials for a quick introduction and Open Science 101 if you do research yourself.
7. Is the NASA Open Science certificate an accredited qualification?
No accreditation or academic credit is mentioned by NASA. It is a NASA completion badge and certificate, best used as evidence of open science skills on a CV, LinkedIn profile or research application.
8. Is Open Science 101 required for NASA research funding?
NASA’s current training page does not say so. A January 2025 NASA notice said Open Science 101 “prepares researchers in applying for NASA funding”, which describes its usefulness rather than a requirement. Check the specific funding call you are applying to.
Final Thoughts
NASA Open Science Training is a short and genuinely useful course from an organisation whose name carries weight on any CV. Its value is practical: the habits it teaches, such as finding and sharing data, licensing and versioning code, and planning how results will be shared, apply to research in any field, not only space science.
Keep your expectations accurate. It is a completion badge and certificate, not a degree credit, and NASA’s public page does not list the pass requirement. If you are a student or researcher with 12 hours to spare, Open Science 101 is the better investment; if you have an afternoon, Essentials will get you the basics. Confirm every detail on NASA’s official training page before you enrol.
