Landsat Program: Satellite Was Launched. This Was Eventually Renamed To Landsat
Landsat Program: Satellite Was Launched. This Was Eventually Renamed To Landsat
Landsat Program: Satellite Was Launched. This Was Eventually Renamed To Landsat
Contents
History
Satellite chronology
Spatial and spectral resolution
Details of sensor design
Uses of Landsat imagery Landsat 7, launched in 1999, is the
Natural resources management second most recent addition to the
Landsat program.
Agroindustry
Forestry
Climate change and environmental disasters
The shrinking of the Aral Sea
Yellowstone Park historic fires
Glacier retreat
Discovery of new species
Future
See also
References
External links
History
The Hughes Aircraft company's Santa Barbara Research Center initiated, designed, and fabricated the first
three Multispectral Scanners (MSS) in 1969. The first prototype MSS was completed within nine months, in
the fall of 1970. It was tested by scanning Half Dome at Yosemite National Park.
Working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Valerie L. Thomas managed the development of early
Landsat image processing software systems and became the resident expert on the Computer Compatible
Tapes, or CCTs, that were used to store early Landsat imagery. Thomas was one of the image processing
specialists who facilitated the ambitious Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment, known as LACIE—a
project that showed for the first time that global crop monitoring could be done with Landsat satellite
imagery.[3]
The program was initially called the Earth Resources Technology Satellites Program, which was used from
1966 to 1975. In 1975, the name was changed to Landsat. In 1979, President of the United States Jimmy
Carter's Presidential Directive 54[4][5] transferred Landsat operations from NASA to NOAA, recommended
development of a long term operational system with four additional satellites beyond Landsat 3, and
recommended transition to private sector operation of Landsat. This occurred in 1985 when the Earth
Observation Satellite Company (EOSAT), a partnership of Hughes Aircraft and RCA, was selected by
NOAA to operate the Landsat system with a ten-year contract. EOSAT operated Landsat 4 and Landsat 5,
had exclusive rights to market Landsat data, and was to build Landsats 6 and 7.
In 1989, this transition had not been fully completed when NOAA's
funding for the Landsat program was due to run out (NOAA had not
requested any funding, and Congress had appropriated only six
months of funding for the fiscal year)[6] and NOAA directed that
Landsats 4 and 5 be shut down.[7] The head of the newly formed
National Space Council, Vice President Dan Quayle, noted the
situation and arranged emergency funding that allowed the program
to continue with the data archives intact.[6][7][8][9]
Again in 1990 and 1991, Congress provided only half of the year's
funding to NOAA, requesting that agencies that used Landsat data
provide the funding for the other six months of the upcoming year.[6]
In 1992, various efforts were made to procure funding for follow on A simulated-color satellite image of
Landsats and continued operations, but by the end of the year Kolkata taken on NASA's Landsat 7
EOSAT ceased processing Landsat data. Landsat 6 was finally satellite.
launched on October 5, 1993, but was lost in a launch failure.
Processing of Landsat 4 and 5 data was resumed by EOSAT in 1994.
NASA finally launched Landsat 7 on April 15, 1999.
The value of the Landsat program was recognized by Congress in October 1992 when it passed the Land
Remote Sensing Policy Act (Public Law 102-555) authorizing the procurement of Landsat 7 and assuring
the continued availability of Landsat digital data and images, at the lowest possible cost, to traditional and
new users of the data.
Satellite chronology
Instrument Picture Launched Terminated Duration Notes
Timeline
* Original MSS pixel size was 79 x 57 meters; production systems now resample the data to 60 meters.
Landsat 4-5 Thematic Mapper (TM)
Bands Wavelength (micrometers) Resolution (meters)
Band 1 - Blue 0.45 - 0.52 30
Band 2 - Green 0.52 - 0.60 30
Band 3 - Red 0.63 - 0.69 30
Band 4 - NIR 0.76 - 0.90 30
Band 5 - Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) 1 1.55 - 1.75 30
Band 6 - Thermal 10.40 - 12.50 120* (30)
Band 7 - SWIR 2 2.08 - 2.35 30
* TM Band 6 was acquired at 120-meter resolution, but products are resampled to 30-meter pixels.
* ETM+ Band 6 is acquired at 60-meter resolution, but products are resampled to 30-meter pixels.
Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS)[17]
Bands Wavelength (micrometers) Resolution (meters)
Band 1 - Ultra Blue (coastal/aerosol) 0.435 - 0.451 30
Band 2 - Blue 0.452 - 0.512 30
Band 3 - Green 0.533 - 0.590 30
Band 4 - Red 0.636 - 0.673 30
Band 5 - NIR 0.851 - 0.879 30
Band 6 - SWIR 1 1.566 - 1.651 30
Band 7 - SWIR 2 2.107 - 2.294 30
Band 8 - Panchromatic 0.503 - 0.676 15
Band 9 - Cirrus 1.363 - 1.384 30
Band 10 - Thermal 1 10.60 - 11.19 100* (30)
Band 11 - Thermal 2 11.50 - 12.51 100* (30)
* TIRS bands are acquired at 100 meter resolution, but are resampled to 30 meter in delivered data product.
The spectral band placement for each sensor is visually displayed here (https://landsat.usgs.gov/sites/default/
files/images/MSS-thru-L9-wavelengths.jpg).
Remote sensing provides information about geographic spaces, like ecosystems that allows scientists to
predict the distribution of species, as well as detecting both natural occurring and anthropogenic generated
changes in a greater scale than traditional data provided by field work. It also presents data more accurately
than models that are derived from field work. The different bands in Landsat, with diverse spectral range
provide highly differentiated applications. There are big and diverse applications of Landsat imagery and
satellite date in general, ranging from ecology to geopolitical matters. Land cover determination has become
a very common use of Landsat Imagery and remotely sensing generated images all around the world.
Agroindustry
In 1975, one potential application for the new satellite-generated imagery was to find high yield fishery
areas. Through the Landsat Menhaden and Thread Investigation, some satellite data of the eastern portion of
the Mississippi sound and another area off the coast of the Louisiana coast data was run through
classification algorithms to rate the areas as high and low probability fishing zones, these algorithms yielded
a classification that was proven with in-situ measurements – to be over 80% accurate and found that water
color, as seen from space, and turbidity significantly correlate with the distribution of menhaden – while
surface temperature and salinity do not appear to be significant factors. Water color – measured with the
multispectral scanners four spectral bands, was used to infer chlorophylls, turbidity, and possibly fish
distribution.[19]
Forestry
An ecological study used 16 ortho-rectified Landsat images to generate a land cover map of Mozambique's
mangrove forest. The main objective was to measure the mangrove cover and above ground biomass on this
zone that until now could only be estimated, the cover was found with 93% accuracy to be 2909 square
kilometers (27% lower than previous estimates). Additionally, the study helped confirm that geological
setting has a greater influence on biomass distribution than latitude alone-the mangrove area is spread across
16 degrees of latitude but it the biomass volume of it was affected more strongly by geographic
conditions.[20]
The shrinking of the Aral Sea has been described as "One of the planet's worst environmental disasters".
Landsat Imagery has been used as a record to quantify the amount of water loss and the changes to the
shoreline. Satellite visual images have a greater impact on people than just words, and this shows the
importance of Landsat imagery and satellite images in general.[21]
Yellowstone Park historic fires
The Yellowstone fires of 1988 were the worst in the recorded history of the national park. They lasted from
June 14 to September 11, when rain and snow helped halt the spread of the fires. The area affected by the
fire was estimated to be 3,213 square kilometers – 36% of the park. Landsat imagery was used for the area
estimation, and it also helped determine the reasons why the fire spread so quickly.
Historic drought and a significant number of lightning strikes were some of the factors that created
conditions for the massive fire, but anthropogenic actions amplified the disaster. On images generated
previous to the fire, there is an evident difference between lands that display preservation practices and the
lands that display clear cut activities for timber production. These two type of lands reacted differently to the
stress of fires, and it is believed that that was an important factor on the behavior of the wildfire. Landsat
Imagery, and satellite imagery in general, have contributed to understanding fire science; fire danger,
wildfire behavior and the effects of wildfire on certain areas. It has helped understanding of how different
features and vegetation fuel fires, change temperature, and affect the spreading speed.
Glacier retreat
The serial nature of Landsat missions and the fact that is the longest-running satellite program gives it a
unique perspective to generate information of earth. Glacier retreat in a big scale can be traced back to
previous Landsat missions, and this information can be used to generate climate change knowledge. The
Columbia glacier retreat for example, can be observed in false-composite images since Landsat 4 in 1986.
Landsat imagery gives a time-lapse like series of images of development. Human development specifically,
can be measured by the size a city grows over time. Further than just population estimates and energy
consumption, Landsat imagery gives an insight of the type of urban development, and study aspects of
social and political change through visible change. In Beijing for example, a series of ring roads started to
develop in 1980s following the economic reform of 1970, and the change in development rate and
construction rate was accelerated on these time periods.
In 2005, Landsat imagery assisted in the discovery of new species. Conservation scientist Julian Bayliss
wanted to find areas that could potentially become conservation forests using Landsat generated satellite
images. Bayliss saw a patch in Mozambique that until then had no detailed information. On a
reconnaissance trip, he found great diversity of wildlife as well as three new species of butterflies and a new
snake species. Following his discovery, he continued to study this forest and was able to map and determine
the forest extent.[22]
Future
Landsat 8, launched 11 February 2013, is the most recent satellite in the Landsat series. It was launched on
an Atlas V 401 from Vandenberg Air Force Base by the Launch Services Program. It will continue to obtain
valuable data and imagery to be used in agriculture, education, business, science, and government. The new
satellite was assembled in Arizona by Orbital Sciences Corporation.
Preliminary planning has begun for Landsat 9, though its future remains uncertain.[23] Over the course of
FY2014 financial planning "appropriators chided NASA for unrealistic expectations that a Landsat 9 would
cost $1 billion, and capped spending at $650 million" according to a report by the Congressional Research
Service. Senate appropriators have advised NASA to plan for a launch no later than 2020.[5] In April 2015,
NASA and the USGS announced that work on Landsat 9 had commenced, with funding allocated for the
satellite in the president's FY2016 budget, for a planned launch in 2023.[24] Funding for the development of
a low-cost thermal infrared (TIR) free-flying satellite for launch in 2019 was also proposed, to ensure data
continuity by flying in formation with Landsat 8.[24]
Play media
Screenshot capture from NASA TV showing the
Animation showing how different LDCM bands can
Atlas V during the launch of Landsat 8.
be combined to obtain different information over
the Florida Everglades.
See also
Earth observation satellite
Geographic information system
Orthophoto, corrected for uniform scale like a map
Remote sensing
References
1. Short, N.M. "The LANDSAT Tutorial Workbook: Basics of Satellite Remote Sensing". NASA
Reference Publication 1078. NASA. hdl:2060/19830002188 (https://hdl.handle.net/2060%2F19
830002188).
2. The Landsat Program - Technical Details (http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/L7_td.html)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20100501135128/http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/about/L7_
td.html) 2010-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
3. NASA Landsat Science, A Face Behind Landsat Images: Meet Dr. Valerie L. Thomas (https://la
ndsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/a-face-behind-landsat-images-meet-dr-valerie-l-thomas/)
4. "Presidential Directive 54" (https://web.archive.org/web/20170130202926/https://www.jimmyca
rterlibrary.gov/documents/pddirectives/pd54.pdf) (PDF). jimmycarterlibrary.gov. The White
House. November 16, 1979. Archived from the original (https://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/doc
uments/pddirectives/pd54.pdf) (PDF) on January 30, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
5. Folger, Peter (October 27, 2014). "Landsat: Overview and Issues for Congress" (https://fas.or
g/sgp/crs/misc/R40594.pdf) (PDF). fas.org. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved
April 18, 2017.
6. Greenberg, Joel S.; Hertzfeld, Henry (1992). Space Economics. AIAA (American Institute of
Aeronautics & Astronautics). p. 372. ISBN 978-1-56347-042-4.
7. "Govt. pulls the plug on two satellites, threatening jobs" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?
id=EjkQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G48DAAAAIBAJ&dq=satellite%20congress%20landsat&pg=3918%2
C6412636). Ellensburg Daily Record. United Press International. 1989-03-03. Retrieved
2010-05-19.
8. "Quayle backs satellite program" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7L0gAAAAIBAJ&sj
id=tGkFAAAAIBAJ&dq=satellite%20quayle&pg=1441%2C798034). The Lewiston Journal.
Associated Press. 1989-03-07. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
9. Wilford, John Noble (1989-03-17). "U.S. Halts Plan to Turn Off the Landsat Satellites" (https://
www.nytimes.com/1989/03/17/us/us-halts-plan-to-turn-off-the-landsat-satellites.html?pagewant
ed=1). The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
10. "Historic Landsat 5 Mission Ends « Landsat Science" (http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/?p=5596).
11. "Landsat Science" (http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/).
12. "Landsat 7 « Landsat Science" (https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/landsat-7-2/).
landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
13. "Landsat 8 Data Now Available!" (https://web.archive.org/web/20130605224029/http://landsat.
usgs.gov/LDCM_Landsat8.php). May 30, 2013. USGS. Archived from the original (http://lands
at.usgs.gov/LDCM_Landsat8.php) on June 5, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
14. "Landsat 8 « Landsat Science" (https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/landsat-8/).
landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
15. "Landsat 9" (http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/landsat-9/). NASA Landsat Science. Retrieved
21 December 2016.
16. "What are the band designations for the Landsat satellites? | Landsat Missions" (https://web.ar
chive.org/web/20170122043515/https://landsat.usgs.gov/what-are-band-designations-landsat-
satellites). landsat.usgs.gov. Archived from the original (https://landsat.usgs.gov/what-are-ban
d-designations-landsat-satellites) on 2017-01-22. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
17. Barsi, Julia A.; Lee, Kenton; Kvaran, Geir; Markham, Brian L.; Pedelty, Jeffrey A. (October
2014). "The Spectral Response of the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager". Remote Sensing.
6 (10): 10232–10251. Bibcode:2014RemS....610232B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014
RemS....610232B). doi:10.3390/rs61010232 (https://doi.org/10.3390%2Frs61010232).
18. "Failure Of Landsat 6 Leaves Many Researchers In Limbo" (http://www.the-scientist.com/?artic
les.view/articleNo/17221/title/Failure-Of-Landsat-6-Leaves-Many-Researchers-In-Limbo/). The
Scientist Magazine.
19. Kemmerer, Andrew (March 2017). "Finding Fish With Satellites" (http://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/mfr3
91/mfr3913.pdf) (PDF). NOAA website.
20. Fatoyinbo, Temilola (March 2017). "Landscape-scale extent, height, biomass, and carbon
estimation of Mozambique's mangrove forest with Landsat ETM+ and Shuttle Radar
Topography Mission elevation data". Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 113:
n/a. doi:10.1029/2007JG000551 (https://doi.org/10.1029%2F2007JG000551).
21. Mason, Betsy (March 2017). "Landsat's Most Historically Significant Images of Earth From
Space" (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/landsat-40-significant-images/). Wired.
22. "Landsat Imagery Leads to Discovery of New Species « Landsat Science" (https://landsat.gsfc.
nasa.gov/landsat-imagery-leads-to-discovery-of-new-species/).
23. "Uncertain Funding Jeopardizes U.S. Land Imaging Satellites" (http://ens-newswire.com/2013/
08/08/uncertain-funding-jeopardizes-u-s-land-imaging-satellites/). ENS.
24. Northon, Karen (16 April 2015). "NASA, USGS Begin Work on Landsat 9" (http://www.nasa.go
v/press/2015/april/nasa-usgs-begin-work-on-landsat-9-to-continue-land-imaging-legacy/).
External links
Landsat USGS homepage (http://landsat.usgs.gov/)
Landsat NASA homepage (http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/)
Works by Landsat (https://www.gutenberg.org/author/U.S._Landsat_Pathfinder) at Project
Gutenberg
Landsat imagery from GLOVIS (http://glovis.usgs.gov/) and Global Land Cover Facility (https://
web.archive.org/web/20100529122657/http://ftp.glcf.umd.edu/index.shtml)
Landsat mosaic imagery from the WELD (https://web.archive.org/web/20110928032327/http://l
andsat.usgs.gov/WELD.php) project.
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