NASA Open Science Training 2026: Free Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101 Courses
NASA Open Science Training 2026 offers free, self-paced learning opportunities for researchers, students, managers, science professionals, and members of the public who want to understand and apply open science practices. Through NASA Open Science Essentials and NASA Open Science 101, learners can develop practical knowledge of open data, open research, open-source software, reproducibility, collaboration, research ethics, and other essential open science principles.
The training courses are designed to make scientific research more transparent, accessible, reproducible, collaborative, and impactful. Both Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101 are available to eligible learners outside NASA as well as NASA’s internal workforce through digital learning platforms. Successful learners can also receive a digital badge and certificate.
NASA Open Science Training 2026 Overview
Program: NASA Open Science Training
Courses: Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101
Provider: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Eligibility: Researchers, students, managers, science professionals, and members of the public
Study Mode: Online and self-paced
Cost: Free
Open Science Essentials Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Open Science 101 Duration: Approximately 12 hours
Certificate: Available upon successful completion
Digital Badge: Available upon successful completion
Application Status: Available for enrollment
NASA describes open science as a collaborative culture that enables the sharing of data, information, and knowledge within the scientific community and with the wider public. The agency views open science as an important way of accelerating scientific research and improving transparency, reproducibility, collaboration, and public access to scientific knowledge.
What Is NASA Open Science Training?
NASA Open Science Training is an educational initiative designed to help learners understand both the principles and practical application of open science.
The training focuses on how researchers can make scientific information more accessible and reproducible while encouraging collaboration and responsible sharing of research outputs.
NASA currently provides two major open science courses:
- Open Science Essentials
- Open Science 101
The two courses provide different levels of depth. Open Science Essentials is designed as a concise introduction for learners who want to understand the fundamentals quickly, while Open Science 101 provides a more comprehensive five-module learning experience.
Open Science Essentials 2026
Open Science Essentials is a short introductory course designed for learners who want a broad understanding of open science without committing to a lengthy training program.
The course takes approximately 2 hours to complete and can be completed at the learner’s own pace. Researchers, managers, students, and other learners outside NASA can create an account and register for the course online. Progress is saved between sessions, allowing participants to return to the course later.
What Does Open Science Essentials Cover?
The Open Science Essentials course introduces learners to the principles, practices, and tools required to conduct open science.
Key areas include:
- Open data
- Open peer review
- Collaborative research
- Open-source software
- Open research results
- FAIR principles
- Open Science and Data Management Plans
- Persistent identifiers
- Open licensing
- Research repositories
- Version control
- Pre-registration
- Artificial intelligence and open science
Open Science Essentials Lessons
Lesson 1: Understanding Open Science
Learners explore what open science means and examine its benefits for research, researchers, institutions, and the wider public.
Lesson 2: Challenges of Open Science
This section examines common barriers to open science, including institutional and social challenges, concerns about being “scooped,” and ethical considerations surrounding data.
Lesson 3: Open Science Framework
Learners are introduced to the open science workflow, FAIR principles, Open Science and Data Management Plans, and different project roles.
Lesson 4: Components of Open Research
This lesson focuses on important components of open research, including open data, open-source software, and open results.
Lesson 5: Open Science Tools
Learners explore practical tools and approaches such as persistent identifiers, open licensing, repositories, version control, preregistration, and the role of AI in research.
Open Science 101 2026
NASA Open Science 101 is the more comprehensive option for learners who want to develop deeper knowledge and practical skills.
The course contains five modules and takes approximately 12 hours to complete. Each module takes about 2.5 hours, and learners can complete the course at their own pace.
The course is designed for researchers, students, and members of the general public who want to understand how to plan, conduct, and participate in open science research projects.
What Does Open Science 101 Cover?
Module 1: Introduction to Open Science
Learners explore what open science is, current open science practices, its benefits, and the challenges researchers may face when adopting open approaches.
Module 2: Open Science Fundamentals
This module introduces fundamental concepts, including NASA’s Use, Make, Share framework, FAIR principles, and important open science tools.
Module 3: Open Data
Learners discover practical approaches for finding, assessing, creating, and sharing open data.
Module 4: Open Code
This module explains how researchers can practice and apply open code throughout the development lifecycle using the Use, Make, Share framework.
Module 5: Open Results and Collaboration
Learners explore how to establish scientific collaborations, create ethical contributor guidelines, discover and assess open results, publish and credit research contributions, and incorporate open practices into Open Science and Data Management Plans.
Who Can Take NASA Open Science Training?
One of the major advantages of NASA Open Science Training is its broad accessibility.
The courses are intended for:
- University students
- Graduate students
- Researchers
- Scientists
- Research managers
- Science professionals
- Research teams
- Open science practitioners
- Members of the general public
- NASA employees and contractors
NASA specifically states that learners outside the agency can create an account and register for the courses. NASA’s internal workforce can access the training through the agency’s SATERN learning management system.
Is NASA Open Science Training Free?
Yes. NASA Open Science Essentials and NASA Open Science 101 are free courses.
NASA’s 2025 year-in-review documentation describes both courses as free and self-paced. The courses are available publicly through an online learning platform, while NASA employees and contractors can access them internally through SATERN.
This makes NASA Open Science Training an attractive opportunity for students and researchers who want to strengthen their research skills without paying tuition or course fees.
NASA Open Science Training Certificate and Digital Badge
Learners who successfully complete the training may be eligible to receive a digital badge and certificate.
These credentials can help learners demonstrate their knowledge of open science principles and practices. They may also be useful when updating a CV, academic profile, professional portfolio, LinkedIn profile, or research profile.
For students and early-career researchers, completing a recognized NASA training course can also demonstrate an interest in responsible, transparent, and reproducible research.
Benefits of NASA Open Science Training
There are several potential benefits to completing NASA Open Science Training 2026.
- Free Learning Opportunity
The courses are available without tuition fees, making them accessible to learners from different academic and professional backgrounds.
- Flexible Self-Paced Learning
Both courses are designed for self-paced study. Learners can progress through the material according to their schedules.
- Learn Practical Research Skills
The training goes beyond defining open science. Learners are introduced to practical approaches for managing and sharing data, code, results, and research information.
- Understand FAIR Principles
FAIR principles are an important part of modern research data management. NASA’s training introduces learners to the principles and their role in making research data more accessible and reusable.
- Improve Research Transparency
Open science practices can help researchers make their methods, data, software, and results more transparent and reproducible.
- Explore Responsible AI Use
The Open Science Essentials curriculum includes consideration of AI’s role in open science. NASA has also reported using large language models during development of the Open Science Essentials course, while maintaining human review and scientific oversight.
- Earn a Certificate and Digital Badge
Successful learners can showcase their completion through the available certificate and digital badge.
Open Science Essentials vs Open Science 101
Feature| Open Science Essentials| Open Science 101
Level| Introductory| Comprehensive
Duration| About 2 hours| About 12 hours
Format| Self-paced| Self-paced
Modules/Lessons| 5 lessons| 5 modules
Open Data| Yes| Yes
Open Code| Introduction| Detailed
Open Results| Yes| Detailed
FAIR Principles| Yes| Yes
Collaboration| Yes| Yes
Best For| Quick introduction| Deeper learning
Cost| Free| Free
Certificate/Badge| Available upon completion| Available upon completion
If you are completely new to open science and want a quick introduction, Open Science Essentials may be the better starting point.
If you want a more detailed understanding of how to apply open science throughout a research project, Open Science 101 provides a deeper learning experience.
Why Learn Open Science in 2026?
Open science is increasingly important as research becomes more data-intensive, collaborative, and digitally connected.
NASA’s open science initiative emphasizes transparent, available, reproducible, and collaborative science. According to NASA, scientific processes and results should be as open as possible, while data, tools, software, documentation, and publications should be available according to appropriate principles and requirements.
For students and researchers, learning open science practices can therefore provide useful knowledge for working with modern research data, software, publications, collaborations, and research outputs.
How to Register for NASA Open Science Essentials
Applicants interested in the shorter Open Science Essentials course can follow these steps:
- Visit the official NASA Open Science Training page.
- Select Open Science Essentials.
- Create or access your learning account.
- Register for the course.
- Begin the online training.
- Complete the lessons at your own pace.
- Successfully finish the course requirements.
- Access the available certificate and digital badge.
External learners can register through NASA’s public learning platform, while NASA personnel use the agency’s internal SATERN system.
How to Register for NASA Open Science 101
To take NASA Open Science 101, learners can:
- Visit the official NASA Open Science Training page.
- Select Open Science 101.
- Create an account if required.
- Enroll in the course.
- Complete the five modules.
- Study the course material at your own pace.
- Complete the required learning activities.
- Receive the available completion credentials.
NASA states that external researchers and students can create an account and register for Open Science 101, with course progress saved between sessions.
Is NASA Open Science Training a Scholarship?
No. NASA Open Science Training is not a scholarship.
It is a free online training opportunity rather than a fully funded scholarship, fellowship, internship, or degree program.
There is no scholarship stipend associated with the courses. The primary benefit is free access to structured open science education, with a digital badge and certificate available upon successful completion.
Is There an Application Deadline?
The NASA Open Science Training courses are presented as online learning opportunities rather than traditional scholarship programs with a fixed annual application deadline.
Learners should therefore check the official NASA training page for the latest enrollment information, course availability, and registration instructions before applying.
What Skills Can You Gain From NASA Open Science Training?
After completing the training, learners can develop knowledge in areas including:
- Open science principles
- Open data management
- FAIR data
- Open-source software
- Open code
- Open research results
- Research collaboration
- Open peer review
- Research ethics
- Open licensing
- Persistent identifiers
- Research repositories
- Version control
- Preregistration
- Open Science and Data Management Plans
- Responsible use of AI in research
These skills can be particularly useful for researchers and students working with scientific data, computational research, interdisciplinary projects, and collaborative research environments.
Who Should Choose Open Science Essentials?
Choose Open Science Essentials if you:
- Are new to open science.
- Want a quick introduction.
- Have limited time.
- Want to understand the major open science concepts.
- Are a student looking for foundational knowledge.
- Manage or support research teams.
- Want a short standalone training course.
The course takes approximately 2 hours, making it suitable for learners seeking a concise introduction.
Who Should Choose Open Science 101?
Choose Open Science 101 if you:
- Want deeper knowledge of open science.
- Conduct or manage research projects.
- Work with research data.
- Develop scientific software or code.
- Want to understand open research workflows.
- Want to learn about open collaboration.
- Want practical guidance for implementing open science.
The five-module course takes approximately 12 hours and provides a deeper exploration of practical execution, ethics, and best practices.
NASA Open Science Training 2026: Key Takeaways
NASA Open Science Training 2026 provides an accessible way for students, researchers, managers, and members of the public to learn about modern research practices.
The two main options are Open Science Essentials, a roughly two-hour introductory course, and Open Science 101, a roughly 12-hour five-module course. Both are free and self-paced, and both are available to learners outside NASA as well as NASA’s internal workforce through different learning platforms.
The training covers important topics such as open data, FAIR principles, open code, open-source software, open results, research collaboration, ethics, repositories, licensing, reproducibility, and AI.
For anyone interested in developing modern research skills, NASA Open Science Training is a useful free learning opportunity.
How to Apply for NASA Open Science Training 2026
Interested learners should visit NASA’s official Open Science Trainings page to review the latest course information and registration options.
Official NASA Open Science Training Page:
Final Note
NASA Open Science Training 2026 is not a paid internship or scholarship. It is a free educational opportunity focused on open science skills and practices. Learners should use the official NASA website for registration and the most current course information.
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