Use it from your AI tool

Space Data Atlas runs a free MCP server at https://spacedata.swapniltamse.com/mcp. Connect it once and your coding assistant can look up challenges, datasets and starter code, and search NASA's catalog live.

Claude Code

Run in your terminal

claude mcp add --transport http spacedata https://spacedata.swapniltamse.com/mcp

Then ask something like: "Use spacedata to get the datasets for the Dancing with the SARs challenge and write me a script that finds the newest files over Houston."

Claude desktop and claude.ai

Open Settings, then Connectors, then Add custom connector. Paste https://spacedata.swapniltamse.com/mcp as the URL. No sign-in is needed.

Cursor and other clients

mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spacedata": {
      "url": "https://spacedata.swapniltamse.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

What it can do

list_challenges: List the 2026 challenges, optionally by level or subject.
get_challenge: One challenge with its suggested datasets, first steps, starter code and related winners.
find_datasets: Search the curated catalog by topic, with a filter for data that needs no login.
search_nasa_collections: Live keyword search of NASA's Common Metadata Repository, with optional area and dates. Returns up to 10 collections.
get_starter_code: Starter code for a dataset in Python or JavaScript.

The server is read-only, keeps no logs of your questions, and needs no account. Live searches are sent to NASA's public CMR API.