50th Anniversary of Landsat

Title: The 50th Anniversary of Landsat, Cornerstone of Global Land Imaging Since 1972
Year: 2021
Artist: Ann Thompson Lompoc, Ca
Location: 201 W. Ocean Ave. on the east facing wall

Description: The Landsat program, a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has helped us understand our changing planet for five decades. The Landsat archive is the longest continuous space-based data record of Earth’s land surface, and Landsat missions have laid the foundation for modern space-based Earth observation.

Since 1972, all Landsat satellites have launched from Vandenberg. Early Landsat satellites generated a wealth of new data that improved mapping of remote areas and geological features along with digital analysis of crop fields and forests. Today, the Landsat satellites continue to deliver visually stunning and scientifically valuable images of our planet- all freely available to users worldwide.

Landsat 9, the successor to Landsat 8, will continue the mission of space-based Earth observation and lead the Landsat program into its 50th anniversary. Together, both satellites will acquire around 1,500 high-quality images daily of Earth. These images will advance research applications, Including our ability to map global surface temperature and continuously track and characterize changes in land cover, use and condition.

Landsat’s long-term data record provides an unrivaled resource for observing land cover and land use change over a time scale of decades. Evolving technology, free data and robust calibration have helped make Landsat the cornerstone of global land imaging.