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March 1, 2004
The ‘Workhorse’ Satellite
Celebrates 20 Years
March 1, 2004, marks the 20th
anniversary of operations of the NASA/USGS
‘workhorse’ satellite, Landsat 5.
Landsat 5, launched on March 1, 1984, continues
to provide important observations of the landmass
of the planet and has established a record for
reliability in the civilian space fleet.
When Landsat 5 was launched from Vandenberg Air
Base in California, expectations were for two
years of effective operations, with a goal of
three years of data collections. Instead, after
100,000 orbits and the acquisition of over 29
million images, Landsat 5 continues to operate
successfully.
”The longevity and importance of the
Landsat 5 mission is nothing short of
incredible,” said Darrel Williams, Landsat
7 Project Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Center. “The imagery provided over
it’s 20 year history has helped us to
develop a far better understanding of the land
surface features on our home planet, as well as
how man has acted to modify those features. It
has resulted in the creation of an unsurpassed
“digital photo album” of Earth that
will be repeatedly opened and reviewed by
generations to come.”
Landsat 7 joined Landsat 5 in global observations
in 1999. For four years the two earth observing
satellites provided extensive, frequent coverage.
“In May of 2003, Landsat 7 developed
problems with the scan line corrector on the ETM+
sensor, stated Landsat Program manager Tracy
Zeiler. “Since then, in addition to
degraded Landsat 7 data, scientists have returned
to relying on Landsat 5 observations. Landsat 5
has proven, again, to be a remarkably reliable
source of information.”
The “workhorse” satellite continues
to perform. While Landsat 5 continues to operate,
Landsat Program managers are working on a
replacement vehicle. The expected end-of -life,
based on fuel reserves, is projected for early
2009. Until then, the NASA/USGS Landsat 5 will
continue to provide records of a changing
world.
For Additional Information on the Landsat
Program, visit: http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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Contact:
Lynn Chandler
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Phone: 301/286-2806
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Amazon forest in Brazil
The image at left as shot in August 1995 and
the one at the right shot in May 1997. Credit:
NASA
Washington, D.C.
This image shows wide-area coverage of the
Washington DC metropolitan area. Landsat 5 is
useful for monitoring urban growth and
environmental monitoring. Credit: NASA
Image of New York City from Landsat
5
Credit: NASA
Image of Egypt’s Red Sea taken in
1984
Credit: NASA
Image of Egypt’s Red Sea taken in
2004
Credit: NASA
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