![An aerial photograph of the NASA Goddard Visitor Center, with white and brick rectangular buildings peeking out from among dense green trees behind a tall white rocket. The rocket stands in the center of a tan paved circle and is shaped like a pencil with a long, slim tower and a slight bulge at the top. Several smaller red, white, and yellow rockets are displayed on their sides around the paved circle, with another rocket standing in a smaller, white paved circle near the trees.](/wp-content/plugins/nasa-blocks/assets/images/center-example/center-example-page-intro-01.jpg)
![A view looking down at Nithin Abraham studies a paint sample in her laboratory.](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/8205174905_0884a8a227_o_0.jpg?w=918)
![The Webb Telescope's mirror being tested at Goddard Space Flight Center.](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/james_webb_space_telescope_-1.jpeg?w=1024)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Goddard is NASA’s premiere space flight complex and home to the nation’s largest organization of scientists, engineers, and technologists who build spacecraft, instruments, and new technology to study Earth, the Sun, our solar system, and the universe.
Location
Greenbelt, Maryland
Founded
May 1, 1959
People
10,000+
Director
Dr. Makenzie Lystrup
Latest Goddard News
![](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/goes-u-launch.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1)
NASA, SpaceX Launch NOAA’s Latest Weather Satellite
![](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/marciarieke-uaz-photo1.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1)
NASA Webb, Hubble Scientist Marcia Rieke Awarded Gruber Cosmology Prize
![](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/hubble-rcw7-potw2425a.jpg)
Hubble Captures Infant Stars Transforming a Nebula
![](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/53586160540-904d1dc022-k.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1)
Augmented Reality Speeds Spacecraft Construction at NASA Goddard
Visit Goddard
Explore exhibits of spacecraft and technology at the Goddard Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Learn More about Visit Goddard![A child spreads their arms in front of a large screen.](/wp-content/plugins/nasa-blocks/assets/images/callout-example-01.jpg)
Focus Areas and Capabilities
Goddard plays a pivotal role across all aspects of NASA missions, from development to de-orbit.
Latest Videos from Goddard
Check our more videos on Goddard YouTubePeople of Goddard
History of Goddard Space Flight Center
Pioneering spaceflight and innovation
Named for American rocketry pioneer Dr. Robert H. Goddard, the center was established May 1, 1959, as NASA's first space flight complex.
Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945) is considered the father of modern rocket propulsion. A physicist of great insight, Goddard also had a unique genius for invention. It is in memory of this brilliant scientist that NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, was established on May 1, 1959.
Learn More about Pioneering spaceflight and innovation![Black and white image of Dr. Robert Goddard and other colleagues all holding a large rocket.](/wp-content/plugins/nasa-blocks/assets/images/story-example-01.jpg)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Goddard Facilities
![](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-gsfcannualreport-digital-cover.png?w=1024)
NASA's Curious Universe
Come get curious with NASA. As an official NASA podcast, Curious Universe brings you mind-blowing science and space adventures you won't find anywhere else. Explore the cosmos alongside astronauts, scientists, engineers, and other top NASA experts who are achieving remarkable feats in science, space exploration, and aeronautics. Learn something new about the wild and wonderful universe we share. All you need to get started is a little curiosity. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast hosted by Padi Boyd and Jacob Pinter. Discover more original NASA shows at nasa.gov/podcasts
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