Latest in Landsat - November 2023 - Vol. 2 | Issue 11
One Hundredth Drag Make-Up Maneuver for Landsat 8
On October 5, 2023, at 2:26:00 EST (18:26:00 GMT), the USGS Landsat Flight Operations Team executed the 100th Drag Make-Up Maneuver (DMU) on the Landsat 8 satellite. The DMU is used to counteract the effects of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft and maintain orbit circulation as well as maintain the strict constraints on the projected spacecraft ground track.
Recent Landsat 8 Anomaly
Landsat 8 experienced a spacecraft anomaly on Tuesday, October 17th, 2023 (DOY 290), at 13:42:00 CDT (18:42:00 GMT) and recovered later that evening at approximately 23:30:00 CDT (Wednesday, October 18th 04:30:00 GMT). Science data were collected throughout the event and are being held from processing while the USGS/NASA Calibration/Validation Team inspects the data.
Researchers Caution Use of Landsat Surface Reflectance Products for Long-Term Water Quality Studies
As its name suggests, Landsat was developed to monitor the Earth’s land surface, but the improved radiometric resolution and spectral coverage of Landsats 8 and 9 have provided a new avenue for water-column science targeting water transparency, in-water biomass, organic matter, suspended sediment, and the like. A new paper advises the best product to use for water column studies.
USGS Awards Competitive Remote Sensing Grant to AmericaView
The U.S. Geological Survey awards $1.47 million to AmericaView as the recipient of the National Land Remote Sensing Education, Outreach and Research Activity grant.
The 50-year Landsat collection 2 archive
The Landsat global consolidated data archive now exceeds 50 years. In recognition of the need for consistently processed data across the Landsat satellite series, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiated collection-based processing of the entire archive that was processed as Collection 1 in 2016. In preparation for the data from the now successfully launched Landsat 9, the USGS reprocessed the
Landsat Storymaps
Storymaps are an interactive way to learn more about Landsat using images, maps, videos, and weblinks. Take the opportunity to learn something new with the Storymaps below.
Landsat Acquisition Tool
The Landsat Acquisition Tool helps determine when the Landsat satellites acquire data over specific areas of interest, displaying the paths that were acquired on any given day.