New NASA Photo Satellite to Join 40-Year Mission
New NASA Photo Satellite to Join 40-Year Mission
A fleet of picture-snapping NASA satellites that for 40 years has documented forest fires, tsunamis and everyday changes in the Earth’s geography will soon get a new member.
With Landsat 8 set for a February launch, nearly 140 scientists and engineers from more than 25 countries are scheduled to gather in South Dakota next week to discuss how to best download, process and distribute the millions of data-rich images used in agriculture, education, business and government.
Since 1972, Landsat satellites have been continuously snapping pictures across the globe as part of a 40-year mission to document the planet.
But with Landsat 7 aging and its older sibling Landsat 5 failing, a new orbiter is needed to continue the long-term data record, said Jenn Sabers, remote sensing branch chief at the U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observations and Science.
“One of the things we want to do is preserve that legacy by ensuring that we collect consistent data with the prior missions,” Sabers said. “Although we have that consistency, we also want to make improvements.”