Weathering the Storm

1. Weathering the Storm (An overly simplified look at past Landsat policy and challenges for the future)

2. Some Important Events in Program • NASA Earth Resources Aircraft Program & early investigations • Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Crew Photographs - “happy snaps” • DOI proposes Earth Resources Observation System (EROS) • Skylab Earth Resources Experiment Package • Launch of ERTS-1 (Landsat 1) spacecraft with RBV and MSS • First LGSOWG meeting (Houston) and International Ground Stations • LACIE and AGRISTARS • Chernobyl accident and Pinatubo Volcano • The “Grand Commercialization Experiment” • The month-to-month funding crisis of the late 80’s • The Gulf War and emerging global change concerns • Corona, Argon, and Lanyard declassification • Google Earth and similar search and retrieval system availability • A Plan for a U.S. National Land Imaging Program, OSTP, August 2007

3. Landsat Program Management Over the Past 40 Years • 1965 – DOI proposes(Pecora/Fisher) an Earth Observing Satellite System • 1972 - NASA initiates the programwith the launch of ERTS 1 (Landsat 1) • 1972-79 - NASA manages the programthrough the launch of Landsats 1, 2, and 3 (72, 75, and 78) • 1979- PD 54 programmanagement transferred to DOC NOAA • 1979-84 -DOC NOAA manages the program through the launches of Landsats 4 and 5 (82 and 84) • 1984 – PL98-365 directsDOC to commercialize Landsat operations • 1985 - DOC selects EOSAT(Hughes & RCA) for 10 year Landsat contract • 2 satellites (later negotiated to 1 for $245M government funding) • Shuttle launch (later changed to Delta when West Coast shuttle launch facility scrubbed) • Government pays all Landsat operations costs for 10 year contract (85-94) • EOSAT establishes data prices and retains revenue from all data sales • 1989 – DOC announces shutdown of Landsat operationsdue to lack of funding; initiatesyear-to-year crisis • 1990 – Desert StormGulf War • 1992 – PDD#5 LRSPA assignsNASA and DOD managementfor Landsat 7 • 1993 –Landsat 6 failson launch bringing end to commercialization attempt • 1994 – DOD bows out of Landsattransferring funding to NASA; • 1994- PD 23 assignsmanagement to NASA, NOAA, and USGS • 1999– Landsat 7 successfully launched • 2003– NASA second commercialization attempt through“data buy” concept for LDCM fails– no takers • 2004– NSPD 15 leads toLDCM on NPOESS for LDCM • 2005 – OSTP decision to go to“single flyer” for LDCM managed by NASA andUSGS • 2007– NLIP study and report recommendsfutureNLIP to be managed by DOI

4. Vision for the Future “A National Land Imaging Program led by the U.S. Department of the Interior to ensure that U.S land imaging needs are met …and to maintain U.S. leadership in civil land imaging and land science, including the development and operation of U.S. owned operational assets dedicated to civil land imaging purposes….” “A Plan For A U.S. National Land Imaging Program”, August 2007, OSTP Reminder “A vision without funding is just a hallucination”