NASA launches Landsat 8 into orbit

[Lurker]

NASA successfully launched the world’s latest earth-observing satellite aboard an Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California today, crystallizing hopes that US scientists will be able to maintain and enhance a continuous environmental monitoring record that dates back more than four decades.

NASA and the US Geological Survey are expected to initiate the launch at 1:02pm EST from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. Once it's in space, Landsat 8 will collect photographs, thermal data, and infrared images from 438 miles above the surface of the Earth, circling the planet roughly every 99 minutes or 14 times a day. On each pass, the satellite will capture a 185-kilometer-wide section, giving us a full image of the globe once every 16 days. Though it doesn't provide the incredibly high-resolution imagery you'll find in some satellite photos, it gives scientists, businesses, and the public (since the data is released for free) a look at what's going on across the planet, showing us environmental changes or the spread of cities and farmland.

Sensors

Operational Land Imager (OLI)

• Nine spectral bands, including a pan band:
  
  • Band 1 Visible (0.433 - 0.453 µm) 30 m
    
  • Band 2 Visible (0.450 - 0.515 µm) 30 m
    
  • Band 3 Visible (0.525 - 0.600 µm) 30 m
    
  • Band 4 Near-Infrared (0.630 - 0.680 µm) 30 m
    
  • Band 5 Near-Infrared (0.845 - 0.885 µm) 30 m
    
  • Band 6 SWIR 1(1.560 - 1.660 µm) 30 m
    
  • Band 7 SWIR 2 (2.100 - 2.300 µm) 30 m
    
  • Band 8 Panchromatic (PAN) (0.500 - 0.680 µm) 15 m
    
  • Band 9 Cirrus (1.360 - 1.390 µm) 30 m
    

Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS)

• Two spectral bands:
  
  • Band 10 TIRS 1 (10.3 - 11.3 µm) 100 m
    
  • Band 11 TIRS 2 (11.5 - 12.5 µm) 100 m
    

see here for complete article :

http://landsat.usgs.gov/about_ldcm.php

good job NASA

[shaimaa gamal]

good job NASA ............Congratulations

[3dbu]

good jobs waiting for see the first imagery tegards

[shaimaa gamal]

Landsat 8 Satellite Launch: Saving And Making Money With Earth Observations

http://www.science20.com/planetbye/landsat_8_satellite_launch_saving_and_making_money_earth_observations-103358#comment-136833

[rahmansunbeam]

Ah, almost missed the news! This is a real big news for all the scientific community. Releasing the Landsat archive to the world was a wonderful news not only for the scientific community but also for the developing countries and researchers. After the groundbreaking success of Landsat 5, NASA surely earned a gratitude of honer from all the academics.

The ScienceDaily says

Data will be archived and distributed free over the Internet from the Earth Resources and Science (EROS) center in Sioux Falls, S.D. Distribution of Landsat 8 data from the USGS archive is expected to begin within 100 days of launch.

Way to go Landsat!

[Lurker]

enhancement on sensor, really interesting with TIRS band, cool