Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.
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The Eyes on Earth podcast is currently hosted by Tom Adamson, Jane Lawson, and Sheri Levisay (contractors for USGS EROS). Episodes are produced by Tom Adamson. Past hosts include John Hult and Steve Young (contractors for USGS EROS). Past producers include John Hult and Brian Hauge (contractors for USGS EROS).
Latest Episodes
Episode 92 – EROS 50th: The Library and Science Support
The Don Lee Kulow Library has been supporting scientific research at EROS since before the facility opened its doors in 1973. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, librarian Carol Deering explains how, rather than becoming obsolete with the advent of instant access to online journals, libraries are even more crucial for the discovery of previous studies and for gauging the reach and real-world effects of research done by EROS scientists. She also talks about the history of EROS and describes a one-time quest for documents that stretched from UC Berkeley to the Library of Congress to Australia and Kenya.
Guest: Carol Deering, contractor and librarian at the Don Lee Kulow Memorial Library at EROS
Episode 91 – Intro to AmericaView
AmericaView aims to advance Earth observation education through a network of programs based at universities in more than 40 states. In this episode, we talk about AmericaView’s goals and how AmericaView and its member states explain remote sensing efforts to society in a variety of ways, including outreach to students who range from elementary to graduate school. We also give examples of the organization’s remote sensing research and describe AmericaView’s ties with the USGS and with Landsat.
Guests: Chris McGinty, Executive Director of AmericaView; Lisa Wirth, Program Director of AmericaView; Sal Cook, USGS Program Liaison for the AmericaView Grant; J.C. Seong, Principal Investigator of GeorgiaView
Episode 90 – Landsat 8 Turns 10
Originally called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, Landsat 8 launched on February 11, 2013. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we talk about the 10th anniversary of Landsat 8 being in orbit and its value to the remote sensing community. While we cannot predict the future, it does look promising that Landsat 8 can sustain that continuity for more years to come.
Guest: Keith Alberts, Acting Landsat Flight Operations Project Manager, EROS
Episode 89 – EROS Workers and Weather
When the snow gets deep and the wind blows, it can be challenging for workers to travel to the USGS EROS Center, located several miles north of Sioux Falls, SD, on what used to be farmland. Most can telecommute these days, but in this episode of Eyes on Earth, we discover how essential employees ensure there is in-person continuous monitoring of Landsat ground station operations during winter weather—sometimes even requiring an overnight stay.
Guests: Joe Blahovec, chief of the Satellite and Ground Systems Operations Branch (SGO), and Aaron Hensley, ground station shiftlead, Critical Mission Support Staff, KBR
Episode 88 – Landsat 5’s Significance, Part 2
Designed to last three years, Landsat 5 launched in 1984 and transmitted data until the launch of Landsat 8 in 2013. In this episode, we learn about some of the challenges—and adrenaline rushes—Landsat 5 gave the flight operations team as it aged, as well as the fondness our two guests came to have for the satellite’s unique personality and the whole team as they served on it during the satellite’s twilight years. In October 2022, the Flight Operations Team won the 2020 Group Pecora Award during the 22nd William T. Pecora Memorial Remote Sensing Symposium.
Guests: Steve Covington, former Landsat 5 flight manager, now Aerospace Corp. contractor serving as the principal systems engineer for the USGS National Land Imaging Program; and Jeff Devine, former Landsat 5 lead operations engineer, now KBR contractor leading the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Flight Operations Team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Episode 87 – Landsat 5's Significance, Part 1
Summary: Designed to last three years, Landsat 5 launched in 1984 and transmitted data until the launch of Landsat 8 in 2013. In this episode, we learn about the significance of this satellite, which set a Guinness World Record for “Longest Operating Earth Observation Satellite.” Our two guests served on the flight operations team in the satellite’s twilight years and describe its importance to the unbroken record of Landsat data. They also share their personal connections with the satellite—including a journey from watching the launch on a monitor at EROS to eventually leading the team.
Guests: Steve Covington, former Landsat 5 flight manager, now Aerospace Corp. contractor serving as the principal systems engineer for the USGS National Land Imaging Program; and Jeff Devine, former Landsat 5 lead operations engineer, now KBR contractor leading the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Flight Operations Team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Related Content
Find past episodes and their episode pages below.
Click on an episode title to visit the episode page. Episode pages include related content, transcript access, and full episode credits.
Eyes on Earth Episode 80 – ECOSTRESS and Carbon
Eyes on Earth Episode 79 – Landsat Global Archive Consolidation
Eyes on Earth Episode 78 – Landsat 50 Lookback
Eyes on Earth Episode 76 – ECOSTRESS and Disease Risk
Eyes on Earth Episode 75 – Mapping Dust Sources Worldwide
Eyes on Earth Episode 74 – A Satellite Cross Calibration Mission
Eyes on Earth Episode 73 – Global Water Use
Eyes on Earth Episode 72 – Northward Shift of the Boreal Forest
Eyes on Earth Episode 71 – Blue Oak Forests of California
Eyes on Earth Episode 70 - ECOSTRESS and Aquatic Ecosystems
Eyes on Earth Episode 69 - Thirty Years of Land Change in the U.S.
Eyes on Earth Episode 68 - Tracking Mangroves by Satellite
Eyes on Earth audio archive
Eyes on Earth Episode 92 – EROS 50th: The Library and Science Support
The Don Lee Kulow Library has been supporting scientific research at EROS since before the facility opened its doors in 1973.
Related Content
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Find past episodes and their episode pages below.
Click on an episode title to visit the episode page. Episode pages include related content, transcript access, and full episode credits.
Filter Total Items: 91Eyes on Earth Episode 80 – ECOSTRESS and Carbon
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn about the role ECOSTRESS temperature measurements played in a study of the carbon dioxide exchange in and around Los Angeles.Eyes on Earth Episode 79 – Landsat Global Archive Consolidation
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn about the process that has gradually added millions of earlier Landsat scenes to the 50-year archive.Eyes on Earth Episode 78 – Landsat 50 Lookback
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we look back at how past guests viewed the value of Landsat satellites and their 50-year history.Eyes on Earth Episode 76 – ECOSTRESS and Disease Risk
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn how measurements from space can track risk of mosquito-borne disease.Eyes on Earth Episode 75 – Mapping Dust Sources Worldwide
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we hear about a mission to map the Earth’s minerals from above.Eyes on Earth Episode 74 – A Satellite Cross Calibration Mission
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we hear how a new mission will make it easier to use satellite datasets interchangeably.Eyes on Earth Episode 73 – Global Water Use
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we hear about a study that measured water use efficiency worldwide and found surprising results.Eyes on Earth Episode 72 – Northward Shift of the Boreal Forest
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn about changes to Earth’s largest land biome.Eyes on Earth Episode 71 – Blue Oak Forests of California
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn how Landsat-based data products have been used to study forest change in California.Eyes on Earth Episode 70 - ECOSTRESS and Aquatic Ecosystems
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn how space-based measurements of water temperature can help manage invasive species.Eyes on Earth Episode 69 - Thirty Years of Land Change in the U.S.
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn how the landscapes of the U.S. have changed since 1985.Eyes on Earth Episode 68 - Tracking Mangroves by Satellite
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn what satellites can tell us about mangrove forests. - Multimedia
Eyes on Earth audio archive
Eyes on Earth Episode 92 – EROS 50th: The Library and Science Support
The Don Lee Kulow Library has been supporting scientific research at EROS since before the facility opened its doors in 1973.
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