Landsat

Landsat 1

Landsat 4

Landsat 7

The Landsat satellites have been monitoring the Earth since 1972. Tens of billions of square kilometers of the Earth have been covered by Landsat sensors and this imagery has provided practical information to scientists from many different Earth science disciplines.

Landsat I (originally called ERTS) was launched into an orbit 917 kilometers (570 miles) above the Earth. It made 14 revolutions of the Earth each day and flew over the same spot every 18 days. Succeeding Landsats had the same characteristics until the advent of Landsat 4, launched in 1982. Landsats 4 and 5 were placed in an orbit 705 kilometers (approximately 440 miles) high and repeated their cycle every 16 days. Landsat 4 malfunctioned early in its mission, but Landsat 5 remains operational today.

The Earth-imaging sensor carried on Landsats 1,2, and 3 was called a Multi-Spectral Scanner (MSS). To Provide continuity with early imagery and allow comparisons of changes in the land through time, Landsats 4 and 5 also carried an MSS. They carried a second more advanced sensor as well, called the Thematic Mapper (TM).

In 1993, Landsat 6 failed to attain its necessary orbit and was lost. In 1999, Landsat 7 began its mission with a new sensor, the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+).

Multi-Spectral Scanner

The Multi-spectral scanner (MSS) is a sensor that was carried on the first 6 Landsat satellites. It produces images of the Earth that cover an area of about 34,000 square kilometers (about 13,000 square miles) with a resolution of about 80 meters (260 feet). The MSS, which acquires data in both visible and infrared wavelengths, employs an oscillating mirror to scan the Earth beneath the spacecraft.
The Museum's MSS is an engineering model provided by NASA and Santa Barbara Remote Sensing.

Thematic Mapper

The Thematic Mapper is an imaging sensor used on the Landsat 4 and 5 satellites. It can resolve features about three times smaller than earlier Landsat instruments and can collect data in more wavelength bands.
Full-scale model on display in Museum courtesy of Hughes Aircraft Company.

Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus

The Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) is the new sensor flown on the Landsat 7 satellite. The ETM+ has eight bands sensitive to different wavelengths of visible and infrared radiation and has better resolution in the thermal infrared band than the Thematic Mapper (TM) instruments carried by Landsats 4 and 5. (53k jpg)
NASA Photograph

Cape Canaveral, the launch site for America's space exploration programs. The Kennedy Space Center (center) and Space Shuttle runway (top) can be seen clearly in this Landsat 7 image. Towards the northeast corner is Launch Pad 39A. Originally designed to support the Apollo program, it was later modified for Space Shuttle launches. (54k jpg)
Courtesy of EROS Data Center, U.S. Geological Survey

Flood Effects

This sequence of images, collected by the LANDSAT Thematic Mapper, illustrates the physical effects of flooding, as seen along the Missouri River in the fall of 1993.
During the flood, the river's boundaries are extended, creating wetland areas beyond the active river channel. One month later, water saturated land can still be seen in the dark blues, blue-grays, and olive greens of the post-flood image. The white to light gray areas reveal the presence of overlying sand deposits.
Courtesy of EROS Data Center, U.S. Geological Survey

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Forestry

These Landsat scenes vividly illustrate how much damage gypsy moths can inflict on forested regions. The image on the top is a view of an area in Pennsylvania in May 1977. The red color represents healthy vegetation. The picture on the bottom is from July when the gypsy moths have grown to full size. Note how much vegetation has been removed.
Courtesy of D. Williams, Goddard Space Flight Center.

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Agriculture

Archaeology

Earth Orbital Missions

Satellite Eyes