Landsat satellites have continuously acquired space-based images of the Earth's land surface, coastal shallows, and coral reefs across four decades. The Landsat Program, a joint effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was established to routinely gather land imagery from space. In practice, NASA develops remote-sensing instruments and spacecraft, launches satellites, and validates their performance. The USGS then assumes ownership and operation of the satellites, in addition to managing all ground-data reception, archiving, product generation, and distribution. The result of this program is a visible, long-term record of natural and human-induced changes on the global landscape.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2012 |
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Title | Landsat: a global land imaging program |
DOI | 10.3133/fs20123057 |
Authors | Raymond A. Byrnes |
Publication Type | Report |
Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
Series Title | Fact Sheet |
Series Number | 2012-3057 |
Index ID | fs20123057 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center |