Photographs released by NASA are in the public domain, because they are produced by a federal agency. The dozens of photographers that work for NASA therefore rarely get the credit they deserve for the work they do. That's why Maura White of the Johnson Space Center launched the agency's Photographer of the Year awards, now in its second year. This year, the work of around 70 photographers was judged by a panel of experts in order to acknowledge great work. There is apparently not just one photographer of the year, but winning photos in four categories, plus runners-up. The photo above is the winner in the "Places" category.
Chris Gunn of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland took this shot of the center’s Space Systems Development and Integration Facility. The entire wall is made up of HEPA filters that remove particles smaller than a red blood cell. A thousand times cleaner than a hospital operating room, the facility is used to test high-value instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope’s Optical Assembly.
Gunn also won in the "Documentation" category. See the winners and runners-up at Air & Space magazine.
