NASA Selfies

NASA Selfies

app

4+, 2018, Education

WISE
82%

WISE Score

4.5

App Store

Puts your kid's face inside an astronaut helmet floating over real cosmic infrared imagery from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

Where to Find

App Store
App Store
Google Play
Google Play
Screenwise Verdict

NASA Selfies is essentially a free, space-themed digital photo booth built by Jet Propulsion Laboratory to celebrate the Spitzer Space Telescope. Your kid takes a photo, the app drops their face into a spacesuit visor, and they pick from dozens of real infrared captures of cosmic dust, stellar nurseries, and distant galaxies.

It is about as safe as an app can get. There are no ads, no microtransactions, and no public feed. The photos stay right on your camera roll unless you choose to share them using your phone's native share menu. Each background includes a short, readable panel explaining what telescope caught the image and what scientists learned from it.

The feature set is lightweight, so do not expect hours of deep gameplay. It is a fifteen-minute distraction that happens to be educational, completely safe, and genuinely cool for young space enthusiasts.

Age Fit

Great for kids ages 5 to 11 who love outer space or want to mess around with camera effects on a parent's phone without safety risks.

WISE Breakdown
Wholesome
95

Completely free of objectionable content, ads, or hidden tracking. Pure space exploration fun.

Imaginative
75

Lets kids put their own face inside an astronaut suit over cosmic imagery, sparking fun visual play.

Safe
98

No account creation, no in-app purchases, no third-party ads, and no open social feeds inside the app.

Enriching
78

Includes real scientific breakdowns of infrared space images captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

Parent Info
✓

Why It Might Be Great

  • Zero data trap: Runs locally without making you register an email address or setup an account.
  • Real astronomy data: Every backdrop background comes with actual scientific explanations from JPL astronomers.
  • Safe photo entry point: Gives younger kids the fun of making selfies without putting them anywhere near TikTok or Instagram filters.
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What to Watch For

  • Short shelf life: The gimmick wears off quickly once a kid has tapped through the available space backgrounds.
  • System share sheet: Tapping the share button brings up your phone's standard OS sharing menu, so supervision is needed if you do not want images texted to Grandma or posted online.

Conversation Starters

  • "Which nebula background looks the most like a giant space monster to you?"
  • "Why do you think scientists use infrared light to look through cosmic dust clouds instead of regular camera lenses?"
  • "If you could actually suit up and go anywhere in the galaxy right now, where would you pilot your ship?"

Deep Dive

A digital space suit with no string attached

Most camera and sticker apps aimed at kids exist to funnel them toward social feeds, aggressive ad networks, or subscription pop-ups. NASA Selfies stands out because it is pure public service software built by Jet Propulsion Laboratory. You open it, grant camera permissions, snap a photo, and immediately start swapping out background galaxies.

Science disguised as a photo filter

The app originally launched to highlight infrared discoveries from the Spitzer Space Telescope. When kids tap on a background like the Orion Nebula or TRAPPIST-1, they get a brief explanation of what infrared sensors reveal behind dense cosmic dust. It turns a standard vanity photo into a bite-sized astronomy lesson.

How to use it well with younger kids

Because the app saves photos directly to your device storage, you can treat it as a low-stakes sandbox for teaching digital media literacy. Show your kid how image compositing works, talk about space exploration, and practice selecting photos for a digital scrapbook together.

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