100 Best NASA Quotes That Space Fans Must Read

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Dec 12, 2023 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Mar 05, 2021
Edited by Jacob Fitzbright
NASA sign at Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center with blue cloudy sky background.
Age: 0-99
Read time: 12.5 Min

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or more commonly known as NASA is a space program and space research center.

NASA came into existence in 1958, as it succeeded the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics). NASA climbed the ladder to the top of the space mission control in the world with great fact-finding techniques.

NASA has been at the forefront of space exploration and has been the institution that people look at for inspiration and moments of greatness in the world of space travel and discovery. Apollo 11 was NASA's first exploration into space when they sent people to the Moon. NASA in 1998, launched the International Space Station in collaboration with Russia and Japan, it is the largest man-made satellite to orbit the earth. To this day NASA has been making new discoveries and achieve great moments whenever they launch space programs. Their motto is, "For the benefit of all", so read these NASA quotes and get inspired!

For more related content take a look at space quotes and astronaut quotes.

Famous NASA Quotes

Some of the best Houston NASA quotes and great quotes about NASA.

1. “When NASA says they're going into space, they don't mean up and back. They mean orbit.”

― Neil deGrasse Tyson.

2. “To me, NASA is kind of the magical kingdom. I was sort of a geek, and you go there, and there are just these wondrously strange things and people.”

― Mary Roach.

3. “Science at NASA is all about exploring the endless frontier of the Earth and space.”

― John M. Grunsfeld.

4. “NASA projects often have romantic names that link into a long history of exploration and adventure: Atlantis and Discovery, for example.”

― Hanna Rosin.

5. “Going to Mars would make NASA great again.”

― John M. Grunsfeld.

6. “With any luck, by the time NASA's space probe hits Pluto, you'll be booking a spaceflight with a privately run suborbital airline.”

― Burt Rutan.

7.  “Our country invests a tiny fraction of 1 percent in NASA, and this is what's so amazing to me, is with that small investment, we do so much for the country.”

― John M. Grunsfeld

8. “NASA is an engine of innovation and inspiration as well as the world's premier space exploration agency.”

Bill Nye.

9. “Science at NASA is all about exploring the endless frontier of the Earth and space.”

― John M. Grunsfeld.

10. “For NASA, space is still a high priority.”

― Dan Quayle.

11. “We'd never have got a chance to go outside and look at the earth if it hadn't been for space exploration and NASA.”

― James Lovelock.

12. “NASA’s next urgent mission should be to send good poets into space so they can describe what it’s really like.”

― Shannon Hale.

13. “NASA is a big organization with a lot of needs that have to be met. So there are a lot of opportunities.”

― Bruce Pittman.

14. “What we do at NASA is inspiring. It's reaching, it's visionary, and it inspires people on Earth to try hard things.”

― John M. Grunsfeld

Space Exploration Quotes

Great space exploration quotes by astronauts who walked on the lunar surface and other popular personalities.

15. “Exploration really is the essence of the human spirit, and to pause, to falter, to turn our back on the quest for knowledge, is to perish.”

― Frank Borman.

16. “To go places and do things that have never been done before – that’s what living is all about.”

― Michael Collins.

17. “The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not.”

― John F Kennedy.

18. “I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact.”

― Elon Musk.

19. “Astronauts have been stuck in low-Earth orbit, boldly going nowhere.”

― Paul Davies.

20. “We choose to go to the Moon.”

― John F Kennedy.

21. “God has no intention of setting a limit to the efforts of man to conquer space.”

― Pope Pius XII.

22. “All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary.”

― Sally Ride.

23. “All human exploration’s bottom line is about preserving our species over the long haul.”

― John Young.

Moon Quotes

Quotes about the moon that bring out the true beauty of the marvelous lunar surface.

24. “The moon, like a flower in heaven's high bower, with silent delight sits and smiles on the night.”

― William Blake.

25. “You can be the moon and still be jealous of the stars.”

― Gary Allan.

26. “The Moon is the first milestone on the road to the stars.”

Arthur C. Clarke.

27. “The moon fascinates us in her simplicity.”

― Avijeet Das.

28. “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.

― Norman Vincent Peale.

29. “The moon will guide you through the night with her brightness, but she will always dwell in the darkness, in order to be seen.”

― Shannon L. Alder.

30. “The moon is a silver pin-head vast, that holds the heaven's tent-hangings fast.”

―William R. Alger.

31. “It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon.”

― Galileo Galilei.

Universe Quotes

Quotes talking about how tiny man is in comparison to the universe.

32. “Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”

― Carl Sagan.

33. “To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.”

― Stephen Hawking.

34. “Earth is a small town with many neighborhoods in a very big universe.”

― Ron Garan.

35. “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibrations.”

― Nikola Tesla.

36. “The stars will never be won by little minds; we must be big as space itself.”

― Robert A. Heinlein.

37. “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”

― Arthur C. Clarke.

38. “Because there is such a law of gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”

― Stephen Hawking.

39. “The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space.”

― Carl Sagan.

40. “The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.”

― Neil deGrasse Tyson.

41. “The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transforms.”

― Lao Tzu.

42. “I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here.”

― Arthur C. Clarke.

43. “The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent.”

― Carl Sagan.

Quotes About Outer Space

Great quotes from renowned personalities about the solar system and space.

44. “Space. The continual becoming: invisible fountain from which all rhythms flow and to which they must pass. Beyond time or infinity.”

― Frank Lloyd Wright.

45. “Every cubic inch of space is a miracle.”

― Walt Whitman.

46. “Space is the stature of God.”

― Joseph Joubert.

47. “Every single astronaut who has come back from space comes back determined to do more to protect it.”

― Richard Branson.

48. “It's a fixer-upper of a planet, Mars, but we could make it work.”

― Elon Musk.

49. “The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever.”

― Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.

50. “I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years unless we spread into space.”

― Stephen Hawking.

51. “We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives, and lifts our national spirit. So let us continue the journey.”

― George W. Bush.

52. “Space exploration is a force of nature unto itself that no other force in society can rival.”

― Neil deGrasse Tyson.

53. “We are at a point in history where a proper attention to space, and especially near space, may be absolutely crucial in bringing the world together.”

― Margaret Mead.

Neil Armstrong Quotes

Neil Armstrong, Public Figure. Madame Tussauds Wax museum at ICON Park on International Drive.

Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon. Here are some of the best quotes about space from the command module pilot and first American man to walk on the surface of the moon.

54. “I thought, well, when I step off it's just going to be a little step — a step from there down to there.”

Neil Armstrong.

55. “I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine.”

― Neil Armstrong.

56. “I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.”

― Neil Armstrong.

57. “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

― Neil Armstrong.

58. “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.”

― Neil Armstrong.

59. “I thought the attractions of being an astronaut were actually, not so much the moon, but flying in a completely new medium.”

― Neil Armstrong.

60. “Pilots take no special joy in walking: pilots like flying. Pilots generally take pride in a good landing, not in getting out of the vehicle.”

― Neil Armstrong.

61. “I am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer — born under the second law of thermodynamics, steeped in the steam tables, in love with free-body diagrams, transformed by Laplace, and propelled by compressible flow.”

― Neil Armstrong.

62. “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

― Neil Armstrong, as Apollo 11 successfully landed on the moon.

63. “There are great ideas undiscovered, breakthroughs available to those who can remove one of truth's protective layers. There are places to go beyond belief.”

― Neil Armstrong.

64. “I think we're going to the moon because it's in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It's by the nature of his deep inner soul … we're required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream.”

― Neil Armstrong.

65. “I don't intend to waste any of my time running around doing exercises. ”

― Neil Armstrong.

Buzz Aldrin Quotes

Great quotes by Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon on the first moon landing mission.

65. “Humanity is destined to explore, settle, and expand outward into the universe.”

― Buzz Aldrin.

66. “Earth was a brilliant jewel in the black velvet sky.”

― Buzz Aldrin.

67. “I know the sky is not the limit because there are footprints on the Moon — and I made some of them!”

― Buzz Aldrin.

68. “Failure is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that you are alive and growing.”

― Buzz Aldrin.

69. “Returning, that was the challenging part.”

― Buzz Aldrin.

70. “Remember, your mind is like a parachute: If it isn’t open, it doesn’t work. So keep an open mind!”

― Buzz Aldrin.

71. “I believe that space travel will one day become as common as airline travel is today.”  

― Buzz Aldrin.

72. “Bravery comes along as a gradual accumulation of discipline.”

― Buzz Aldrin.

73. “I think humans will reach Mars, and I would like to see it happen in my lifetime.”

― Buzz Aldrin.

74. “The sky was black as could be, and the horizon was so well defined as it curved many miles away from us into space.”

― Buzz Aldrin.

75. “Like all living systems, cultures cannot remain static; they evolve or decline. They explore or expire.”

― Buzz Aldrin.

Famous Astronaut Quotes

Great quotes about space by astronauts who have been to the lunar surface and beyond.

77. “We knew it was going to be difficult to get to the moon. We didn't know how difficult.”

― Alan Bean.

78. “Anyone who sits on top of the largest hydrogen-oxygen fueled system in the world, knowing they’re going to light the bottom, and doesn’t get a little worried, does not fully understand the situation.”

― John Young.

79. “The world, when you look at it, it just can't be random. I mean, it's so different than the vast emptiness that is everything else.”

― Chris Hadfield.

80. “Astronauts are inherently insane. And really noble.”

― Andy Weir.

81. “I knew I was alone in a way that no earthling has ever been before.”

―  Michael Collins, aboard Apollo 11 while Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong descended to the moon.

82. “When I first looked back at the Earth, standing on the Moon, I cried.”

― Alan Shepard.

83.  “I believe I never knew what the word round meant until I saw Earth from space.”

― Alexei Leonov.

84. “On my four space shuttle flights… I struggled constantly to make sense of an avalanche of new sensations and perceptions.”

― Thomas Jones.

85.  “We look pretty vulnerable in the darkness of space.”

― Alan Shepard.

86. “My view of our planet was a glimpse of divinity.”

― Edgar Mitchell.

87. “Where are the reflections? I've been fooled once. There is orange soil!”

― Harrison Schmitt.

88.  “And don’t forget one in the command module.... And thanks for putting me on relay, Houston. I was missing all the action.”

― Michael Collins.

89. “I watched the space program being born, and I would like to participate.”

― Christa McAuliffe.

90. “I don't know what you could say about a day in which you have seen four beautiful sunsets.”

― John Glenn.

91. “To be the first to enter the cosmos, to engage, single-handed, in an unprecedented duel with nature—could one dream of anything more?”

― Yuri Gagarin.

92. “You can drop a pencil in zero gravity and look for it for three days. In one-sixth gravity, you just look down and there it is.”

― John Young.

93. “The stars don’t look bigger, but they do look brighter.”

― Sally Ride.

94. “I must admit, maybe I am a piece of history after all.”

― Alan Shepard.

95. “I was out there somewhere with the opportunity to see something and be somewhere and do something that only twelve human beings in the history of mankind have been able to do or be or see.”

― Eugene Cernan.

96. “I looked and looked but I didn’t see God.”

Yuri Gagarin.

97. “They say any landing you can walk away from is a good one.”

― Alan Shepard.

98. “The scenery was very beautiful. But I did not see The Great Wall.”

― Yang Liwei.

99. “From out there on the Moon, international politics look so petty.”

― Edgar Mitchell.

100. “Of course risk is part of spaceflight. We accept some of that to achieve greater goals in exploration and find out more about ourselves and the universe.”

― Lisa Nowak.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for NASA quotes then why not take a look at [outer space quotes], or Buzz Aldrin quotes?

Article image credit: Three Sixty Images / Shutterstock.com

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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