NASA Open Science Essentials Course 2026: Free Online Course With Certificate and Digital Badge
Overview
The NASA Open Science Essentials Course is an online introduction to the principles, practices and tools of open science, which aims to make research more transparent, reproducible and accessible. It is structured as a single module of five lessons and is suitable for learners of different ages, backgrounds and experience levels, including students, researchers, academics, early-career scientists and members of the general public. Successful participants earn a NASA Open Science Essentials digital badge and certificate, and the training can be added to an ORCID profile. It is a NASA training credential rather than a professional license or formal academic qualification, and it carries no salary or stipend.
What you get
Lesson 1 explains why open science matters, including how openness can raise visibility, impact and reproducibility and reduce errors. Lesson 2 covers concerns such as social and institutional barriers, fear of being scooped, and legal and ethical issues around sensitive data. Lesson 3 covers planning, including the open science workflow, the FAIR Principles of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable data, and an Open Science and Data Management Plan with defined roles and responsibilities.
Lesson 4 introduces open data, open-source software and open results. Lesson 5 covers practical tools such as persistent identifiers like DOIs and ORCID iDs, open licensing, repositories for data and code, version control and pre-registration of studies, and also looks at the role of artificial intelligence in open science.
How to apply
Learners without a NASA email address register through the course page by selecting Apply and answering the registration questions. Processing generally takes 24 to 48 hours, after which an email explains how to finish enrollment. Participants create a course-specific Canvas account and password, and should check spam or quarantine folders if the email does not arrive. NASA employees access the course through the internal learning system SATERN instead.
Key dates
The next registration window has not been confirmed and may fall in Fall 2026.