MCP TypeScript NASA Server
A TypeScript-based MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides seamless integration with NASA's public APIs, enabling AI assistants to access space and astronomy data including APOD, Mars rover photos, Near-Earth Objects, space weather, and Earth imagery.
🌟 Features
- 🚀 5 NASA API Tools: APOD, Mars Rovers, NEO Feed, DONKI Space Weather, EPIC Earth Imagery
- 📚 Resources Support: Access NASA data via URI-based resources (static & dynamic)
- 💬 Prompts Templates: Pre-built prompts for education and analysis
- 📦 NPX Ready: Run instantly with
npx mcp-ts-stdio-nasa - 🔧 Type-Safe: Full TypeScript implementation with Zod validation
- 🎯 MCP Compliant: Full Model Context Protocol specification support
- ⚡ Easy Setup: Works with Claude Desktop and other MCP clients
- 🔑 API Key Support: Use your own NASA API key or the demo key
🚀 Quick Start
Run with NPX (Recommended - No Installation Required)
npx mcp-ts-stdio-nasa
This command downloads and runs the latest version directly from npm.
Install Globally
npm install -g mcp-ts-stdio-nasa
mcp-ts-stdio-nasa
Install as Dependency
npm install mcp-ts-stdio-nasa
🔧 Configuration
Claude Desktop Setup
Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:
MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"nasa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["mcp-ts-stdio-nasa"],
"env": {
"NASA_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}
}
}
}
Environment Variables
Create a .env file in your project root:
# NASA API Configuration
NASA_API_KEY=your_api_key_here # Get from https://api.nasa.gov/
# Use "DEMO_KEY" for testing with rate limits
# Optional
DEBUG=false # Enable debug logging
🛠️ Available Tools
1. nasa_apod - Astronomy Picture of the Day
Get NASA's daily featured astronomy image with detailed explanation.
Parameters:
date(optional): Date in YYYY-MM-DD format
Example Query:
"Show me NASA's astronomy picture from January 1, 2024"
2. nasa_mars_rover_photos - Mars Rover Photography
Fetch photos from Mars rovers including Curiosity, Opportunity, Spirit, and Perseverance.
Parameters:
rover: Rover name (curiosity, opportunity, spirit, perseverance)sol(optional): Martian dayearth_date(optional): Earth date in YYYY-MM-DDcamera(optional): Camera type (FHAZ, RHAZ, NAVCAM, etc.)limit: Maximum photos to return (1-25)
Example Query:
"Get recent photos from Perseverance rover's navigation camera"
3. nasa_neo_feed - Near Earth Objects
Track asteroids and comets passing near Earth.
Parameters:
start_date(optional): Start date in YYYY-MM-DDend_date(optional): End date in YYYY-MM-DD
Example Query:
"Show me potentially hazardous asteroids passing Earth this week"
4. nasa_donki_space_weather - Space Weather Events
Monitor solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and other space weather phenomena.
Parameters:
event_type: Event type (FLR, SEP, CME, IPS, MPC, GST, RBE)start_date(optional): Start dateend_date(optional): End date
Event Types:
FLR: Solar FlareSEP: Solar Energetic ParticleCME: Coronal Mass EjectionIPS: Interplanetary ShockMPC: Magnetopause CrossingGST: Geomagnetic StormRBE: Radiation Belt Enhancement
Example Query:
"Check for solar flares in the last week"
5. nasa_epic_earth_imagery - Earth Polychromatic Imaging
Get full-disc Earth images from the DSCOVR satellite.
Parameters:
image_type: natural or enhanceddate(optional): Date in YYYY-MM-DDlimit: Maximum images (1-20)
Example Query:
"Show me recent full Earth images from space"
📚 Resources
Resources provide direct access to NASA data via URIs:
Static Resources
nasa://config- NASA API configuration and statusnasa://missions/current- List of current NASA missionsnasa://neo/today- Today's Near-Earth Objects
Dynamic Resources (with URI templates)
nasa://apod/{date}- APOD for specific date (e.g.,nasa://apod/2024-01-15)nasa://rover/{rover}/latest- Latest photos from Mars rovers
Example Usage:
"Read the resource nasa://apod/2024-12-25"
"Show me nasa://rover/perseverance/latest"
💬 Prompts
Pre-configured prompts for common NASA data queries:
1. explain-apod - Educational APOD Explanation
Parameters:
date(optional): YYYY-MM-DD formataudience(optional): child, student, or expert
Example:
"Use the explain-apod prompt for today with audience set to child"
2. space-weather-report - Space Weather Analysis
Parameters:
days(optional): 1-7 days to analyzefocus(optional): solar-flares, cme, geomagnetic, or all
Example:
"Generate a space-weather-report for the last 3 days focusing on solar flares"
3. asteroid-analysis - NEO Risk Assessment
Parameters:
timeframe(optional): today, week, or monthhazardous_only(optional): true/false
Example:
"Run asteroid-analysis for this week with hazardous_only true"
📝 Status
✅ Published and Working - The package has been successfully published to npm and tested with Claude Desktop.
- Latest Version: 0.2.0
- npm Package: mcp-ts-stdio-nasa
- Installation: Works via npx, global install, or as a dependency
💻 Development
Setup
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/jezweb/mcp-ts-stdio-nasa.git
cd mcp-ts-stdio-nasa
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build the project
npm run build
# Run in development mode
npm run dev
Scripts
npm run build- Build TypeScript to JavaScriptnpm run clean- Clean build artifactsnpm run dev- Watch mode for developmentnpm run lint- Run ESLintnpm run format- Format with Prettiernpm run mcp:inspect- Test with MCP Inspector
Testing with MCP Inspector
npm run build
npm run mcp:inspect
This opens the MCP Inspector for interactive testing of all tools.
📚 Project Structure
mcp-ts-stdio-nasa/
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts # Main server entry point
│ ├── tools/ # NASA API tool implementations
│ │ ├── apod.tool.ts
│ │ ├── mars-rover.tool.ts
│ │ ├── neo.tool.ts
│ │ ├── donki.tool.ts
│ │ └── epic.tool.ts
│ ├── services/ # NASA API service layer
│ │ └── nasa.service.ts
│ ├── types/ # TypeScript type definitions
│ │ └── nasa.ts
│ └── utils/ # Utility functions
│ ├── config.ts
│ └── logger.ts
├── dist/ # Compiled JavaScript
├── docs/ # Documentation
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json
🌐 NASA API Information
This server uses NASA's public APIs. You can:
- Use
DEMO_KEYfor testing (limited rate) - Get a free API key at https://api.nasa.gov/
- Most endpoints allow 1000 requests/hour with an API key
API Documentation
🤝 Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
- Fork the repository
- Create your feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/AmazingFeature) - Open a Pull Request
📝 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
🙏 Acknowledgments
- NASA for providing public APIs
- Anthropic for the MCP specification
- Model Context Protocol community
📧 Contact
Author: Jez (Jeremy Dawes)
Email: jeremy@jezweb.net
Website: www.jezweb.com.au
🔗 Links
Made with ❤️ for the space and AI communities