1999 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
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Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopois |
| LANDSAT 7 BEGINS FULL TIME EARTH OBSERVATIONS | G99-071 | 9/7/99 | 00:33:23 | The final satellite in a unique series of Earth observing systems is ready to begin full time operations. Called Landsat 7, it will collect and periodically update an image archive of the Earth's landmass. From an altitude of 438 miles, Landsat 7 will be able to see surface features as small as 15 meters, providing world wide land resource information for a diverse range of uses. The satellite is part of a global research effort called the Earth Science Enterprise, which seeks to acquire a long term understanding of the changes to our planet.
NASA launched the first Landsat spacecraft on July 23, 1972. |
TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): LANDSAT ANIMATIONS - Landsat 7 is the latest in a series of Earth observing satellites that have provided remotely sensed observations of the Earth's land surface and coastal regions for over 26 years. Landsat 7 marks a new direction in the program to reduce the costs of data and increase global coverage for use in global change research.
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| ITEM (2): COLLECTING THE DATA - The instrument on Landsat 7 is the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). ETM+ is a passive sensor that measures reflected or emitted light from the Earth's surface. The images produced by Landsat provide information on subjects such as crop planning, timber issues, population changes, water quality, while meeting the needs of business, science, education, government, and national security.
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| ITEM (3): MAKING THE IMAGES - THE LAYERS OF SAN FRANCISCO - By combining different spectral bands from the ETM+ camera, researchers can
produce images highlighting different features of the land.
- "Wide Spectral Range" - highlights cleared land (red), forests in dark green.
- "False Color Infrared" (vegetation shows as red, artificial structures show as gray)
- "Natural Color" (shallow water and sedimentation patterns)
- "Forest Bands" (Highlights differences in forest composition)
- "NDVI" (sensitive to chlorophyll, phytoplankton)
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| ITEM (4): ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM - This is an illustration of the different colors of light within the electromagnetic spectrum. Landsat 7 not only has detectors positioned to look at wavelength regions of light that we can see with our eyes - blue, green, and red, but it also looks into areas we cannot see in the near- and short-wave infrared. The natural color wavelength regions can be redisplayed similar to a photograph, while those regions that we cannot see are assigned colors to make them visible.
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| ITEM (5): INCREASED THERMAL RESOLUTION - This is the Colima Volcano eruption in Mexico as seen from Landsat 7. Increases in Landsat 7's thermal band resolution allowed scientists to monitor the hotter regions around the peak.
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| ITEM (6): INCREASED PANCHROMATIC BAND RESOLUTION - Scientists can used the improved resolution in Landsat 7 Pan bands to increase the effective resolution of the overall image.
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| ITEM (7): SCIENTISTS AT EROS - Landsat 7 will collect and archive an unprecedented quantity of high-quality multispectral data each day. The primary receiving station for LANDSAT 7 data will be at the U. S. Geological Surveys (USGS) EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Scientists are seen working with the data.
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| ITEM (8): STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND - Students at the University of Maryland work with Landsat data.
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| ITEM (9): LANDSAT 7 IS READIED AT VALLEY FORGE, PA - Landsat 7 is readied and inspected in the clean room at Valley Forge, PA in preparation for launch.
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| ITEM (10): LANDSAT 7 LAUNCH - The satellite lifted off on April 15, 1999 aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Vandenberg AFB.
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| ITEM (11): THE LANDSAT SERIES - HISTORICAL FOOTAGE - NASA launched the first satellite in the Landsat series on July 23, 1972. Landsat 5 was launched in March 1984 and is still returning images.
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| ITEM (12): INTERVIEW EXCERPT with Darrel Williams, Landsat Project Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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| Data collected from various Landsat spacecraft show dramatic changes to the environment from natural events and human influence. By collecting images of the same areas over long stretches of time, complex trend analyses are possible to a degree unattainable without remote sensing technologies.
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| ITEM (13): DEFORESTATION - The clearing of the rain forest can be seen near Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
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| ITEM (14): URBAN GROWTH - The Washington D.C. metropolitan area shows the dramatic growth taking place from 1973 through 1996. The three stages shown are taken from these dates: 1973-1985 (red), 1985-1990 (orange), and 1990-1996 (yellow).
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| ITEM (15): MEXICO CITY - When images from Landsat are combined with elevation data, they can yield additional information about the region. In this image of Mexico City, note the ring of mountains that tend to concentrate smog and other pollutants. The city is built upon sediment which make the region vulnerable to earthquakes.
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| ITEM (16): LANDSAT 7 NATIONAL TOUR OF GRAND SPACES - New visualizations generated from Landsat 7 data depict a number of U.S. national parks and other locations in spectacular detail. The images displayed here are generally overlaid on terrain maps, showing peaks, valleys, water, and human made structures as viewed from space.
A.) Cape Canaveral and Central Florida
B.) Chesapeake Bay Region
C.) Crater Lake
D.) Death Valley
E.) Florida Everglades
F.) Glacier Bay
G.) Glacier Park
H.) Grand Canyon
I.) Mt. Rainier
J.) Mt. St. Helen's Volcano
K.) Pacific Northwest Traverse, including the Cascade Mountains and Seattle
L.) Yosemite National Park
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