Eyes on Earth Episode 108 – Landsat 8’s 100th Drag Make-Up Maneuver Active
The USGS EROS Landsat Flight Operations Team recently completed the 100th Drag Make-Up maneuver for Landsat 8.
The Landsat Program is considered the gold standard for satellite Earth-observation imagery. To keep it that way, the USGS EROS Flight Operations Team continually monitors the flight paths of the Landsat satellites to make sure they stay at a consistent 705-kilometer altitude. That means frequently speeding it up to counter the effects of atmospheric drag. But that’s not all. The team accounts for solar activity, space junk, and other factors to keep the satellites safe. Landsat 8’s 100th Drag Make-Up maneuver in October 2023 gives us the opportunity, in this episode of Eyes on Earth, to talk about these and the other maneuvers the flight team executes and how they work.
Guest: Larry Tornabene, Flight Systems Manager for Landsat 8
Host: Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)
Producer: Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)
Release date: Monday, November 20, 2023
Download and Transcript Access
More about Landsat:
- USGS Landsat Missions
- USGS Landsat 8 Interactive Story
- NASA Landsat Science—Landsat 8
- Landsat Satellites Operated from EROS for First Time
Related Episodes
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Eyes on Earth 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 10^th^ anniversary of Landsat 8 being in orbit and its value to the remote sensing community.
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Eyes on Earth Episode 88 – Landsat 5’s Significance, Part 2
Designed to last three years, Landsat 5 was launched in 1984 and transmitted data until the launch of Landsat 8 in 2013.
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Eyes on Earth Episode 31 – Landsat 7 Flight Operations
Just recently, in mid-July, the flight operations team charged with keeping the Landsat 7 satellite running smoothly achieved a major milestone. They have gone 8 straight years now without an operator error.
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Eyes on Earth Episode 14 – Space Debris
Sixty years of manned and unmanned space flight have left a cosmic junkyard circling the planet. In 2017, the U.S. government reported that it logged 308,984 close calls with space junk and issued 655 emergency-reportable alerts to satellite operators.
-
The USGS EROS Landsat Flight Operations Team recently completed the 100th Drag Make-Up maneuver for Landsat 8.
The Landsat Program is considered the gold standard for satellite Earth-observation imagery. To keep it that way, the USGS EROS Flight Operations Team continually monitors the flight paths of the Landsat satellites to make sure they stay at a consistent 705-kilometer altitude. That means frequently speeding it up to counter the effects of atmospheric drag. But that’s not all. The team accounts for solar activity, space junk, and other factors to keep the satellites safe. Landsat 8’s 100th Drag Make-Up maneuver in October 2023 gives us the opportunity, in this episode of Eyes on Earth, to talk about these and the other maneuvers the flight team executes and how they work.
Guest: Larry Tornabene, Flight Systems Manager for Landsat 8
Host: Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)
Producer: Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)
Release date: Monday, November 20, 2023
Download and Transcript Access
More about Landsat:
- USGS Landsat Missions
- USGS Landsat 8 Interactive Story
- NASA Landsat Science—Landsat 8
- Landsat Satellites Operated from EROS for First Time
Related Episodes
-
-
Eyes on Earth 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 10^th^ anniversary of Landsat 8 being in orbit and its value to the remote sensing community.
-
Eyes on Earth Episode 88 – Landsat 5’s Significance, Part 2
Designed to last three years, Landsat 5 was launched in 1984 and transmitted data until the launch of Landsat 8 in 2013.
-
Eyes on Earth Episode 31 – Landsat 7 Flight Operations
Just recently, in mid-July, the flight operations team charged with keeping the Landsat 7 satellite running smoothly achieved a major milestone. They have gone 8 straight years now without an operator error.
-
Eyes on Earth Episode 14 – Space Debris
Sixty years of manned and unmanned space flight have left a cosmic junkyard circling the planet. In 2017, the U.S. government reported that it logged 308,984 close calls with space junk and issued 655 emergency-reportable alerts to satellite operators.
-