USGS CoreFacts
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Transcript:
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Welcome to CoreFacts, where we're always short on time and big on science. I'm Steve Sobieszczyk. Let's get right to it, today's question is:
What is Landsat 7?
In 1992, the U.S. Congress authorized the procurement, launch and operation of a new Landsat satellite. This new system, Landsat 7, was launched in April, 1999. It is latest in a series of earth observation satellites dating back to 1972. The thirty year record of data acquired by the Landsat satellites constitutes the longest continuous record of the earth's continental surfaces. Preservation of the existing record and continuation of the Landsat capability were identified in the law as critical to land surface monitoring and global change research. Landsat 7 has a unique and essential role in the realm of earth observing satellites in orbit. No other system matches Landsat's combination of synoptic coverage, high spatial resolution, spectral range, and radiometric calibration.
In addition, the Landsat Project is committed to providing Landsat digital data to the user community in greater quantities, more quickly, and at lower cost than at any previous time in the history of the Project. The earth observing instrument on Landsat 7, the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), replicates the capabilities of the highly successful Thematic Mapper instruments on Landsat 4 and 5. The Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus also includes new features that make it a more versatile and efficient instrument for global change studies, land cover monitoring and assessment, and large area mapping than its design forebears. The primary new features on Landsat 7 are:
- a panchromatic band with 15 meter spatial resolution
- on board, full aperture, 5% absolute radiometric calibration
- a thermal inferred channel with 60m spatial resolution
And now you know. Join us again every weekday for a new CoreFact. For other CoreFacts, or for CoreCast, our in-depth science podcast, go to usgs.gov/podcasts. We are happily accepting your science questions, so if you're curious about something that we can answer, send us an email at corefacts@usgs.gov or leave a voicemail at 703-648-5600, long distance fees apply.
The USGS CoreFacts is a product of the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.
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