It’s not enough just to record data with a satellite; you also need to analyze it here on Earth. Episode 3 shows the efforts of the USGS to downlink and archive the five decades of Landsat data we’ve collected, as well as make it available for scientists and other data users. In this episode, we’re introduced to Mike O’Brien, who is on the receiving end of daily downloads, as well as Kristi Kline, who is in charge of making Landsat data available at no cost to the user. Jeff Masek, the Landsat 9 Project Scientist at NASA, describes how access to data has revolutionized what we can learn about our home planet. More than just pictures, Landsat’s verified scientific data is giving us a slice of human history and the changes on Earth’s surface.

Additional footage courtesy of Pond5 and the US Geological Survey.

The Landsat Program is a series of Earthobserving satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Landsat satellites have been consistently gathering data about our planet since 1972. They continue to improve and expand this unparalleled record of Earth's changing landscapes for the benefit of all.

Music: "Small Secrets," "Take A Little Look," "The Archives," "Golden Temple," "Orchestra Groove," "Perpetual Wonder," "Patisserie Pressure” from Universal Production Music

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Matthew R. Radcliff (USRA): Lead Producer
Ryan Fitzgibbons (USRA): Lead Producer
Kate Ramsayer (USRA): Lead Producer
LK Ward (USRA): Lead Writer
Ryan Fitzgibbons (USRA): Lead Editor
Jeffrey Masek (NASA/GSFC): Lead Scientist
Marc Evan Jackson: Narrator
Michael O’Brien (USGS/KBRwyle): Interviewee
Kristi Kline (USGS): Interviewee
Jeff Masek (NASA/GSFC): Interviewee
Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET): Technical Support

This video can be shared and downloaded at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13712​. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on stock footage may be found here: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13712​. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/guide....

If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel:    / nasagoddard  

Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
· Instagram   / nasagoddard  
· Twitter   / nasagoddard  
· Twitter   / nasagoddardpix  
· Facebook:   / nasagoddard  
· Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc