Imagine seeing 50 years’ worth of images of where you live. The Landsat mission has collected 50 years of images of our entire planet!
Landsat is a partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey that places satellites in orbit over Earth to photograph landscapes and coastlines. Because it’s publicly funded, Landsat’s 9 million images are free and accessible to the public.
The first Landsat satellite launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California July 23, 1972.
Notable changes revealed by Landsat images include cities expanding into the desert, rivers changing course, glacier and reservoirs shrinking, and differences in crops grown in the U.S. over the past five decades. And no surprise: Landsat contributes to Google Earth imagery!
