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Lynn Chandler
Lynn.Chandler.1@gsfc.nasa.gov
(Phone: 301-614-5562)
Dec. 13, 1999
RELEASE NO: 99-129
VOLCANOES, DROUGHT AND FLOODS: THE FIRST IMAGES FROM LANDSAT 7
The images acquired by the new Landsat 7 spacecraft launched April 15, 1999 have exceeded
scientists' expectations. With the satellite's state-of-the-art instrument and new
computer ground systems, researchers have closely monitored such events as erupting
volcanoes in Hawaii, Italy and Latin America, the severe drought in the mid- Atlantic
region and the devastating floods in North Carolina.
Landsat 7 Project Scientist Dr. Darrel Williams (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, Md.) will present new results on Dec. 15, 1999, at a press conference titled
"Early Results from New Earth Observing Satellites." The 1:30 p.m. press
conference will be held in Room 112 of the Moscone Convention Center during the Fall
American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.
In addition to its observations of natural disasters, Landsat is offering scientists a
detailed look at unique weather and cloud formation phenomena, and glacial retreats and
advances. Landsat 7 also will acquire a nearly complete data set of the world's coral
reefs to help researchers keep track of these important ocean ecosystems.
The Landsat 7 mission is being operated under the joint leadership of NASA and the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) during its first year in orbit. Goddard is responsible for the
development of the spacecraft. The USGS Earth Resources Observation System (EROS) Data
Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. processes, archives and distributes the spacecraft data.
Landsat 7 continues the monitoring of the Earth's surface, which dates back to July 1972.
This constitutes the longest and most complete set of data available for studying global
change phenomena.
"We are extremely pleased with the overall mission operations and the images we are
receiving," said Williams. Landsat 7 serves an essential role in supporting the
U. S. Earth science research goals. Landsat 7 mission operations are designed to
accumulate a global, seasonally refreshed, substantially cloud-free data set archived at
the USGS EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls.
To date, over 50,000 scenes have been acquired, processed and archived at the USGS EROS
Data Center and are available in digital format within 24 hours of collection. The data
are sold at the cost of reproduction and distribution --$600 for a standard full scene
digital file. Commercial vendors will distribute custom and value- added Landsat 7
products. Also, there is no copyright protection of Landsat 7 data. Once purchased, image
data can be copied and redistributed without restriction. This lower cost and ease of
duplication restrictions makes possible widespread development of practical applications
that could effect all aspects of our daily lives.
Landsat 7 utilizes other technical improvements from its predecessors. The panchromatic
instrument onboard allows for spatial resolution of 15 meters, while maintaining
sensitivity to the same band wavelengths of previous Landsat instruments. This continuity
allows for temporal image analysis, comparing images that may be separated by many years,
taken by different Landsat satellites. Also included in the spacecraft's array of tools is
a thermal infrared detector, capable of 60-meter resolution.
Landsat 7 is part of a global research program known as NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, a
long-term program that is studying changes in Earth's global environment. The goal of the
Earth Science Enterprise is to provide people with a better understanding of natural
environmental changes. Earth Science Enterprise data is essential to people making
informed decisions about their environment.
For more information about the Landsat-7 and the history of the Landsat program, visit the
websites at: http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/ or http://landsat7.usgs.gov/ This text derived from http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/1999/99-129.htm
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