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NRC: Landsat Data Not Sustainable

By Marc Boucher
NASA Watch
August 8, 2013
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NRC Warns Landsat-Type Data Not Sustainable Under Current Practices, Space Policy Online
The National Research Council (NRC) today issued its much-anticipated report on how to ensure continuity of Landsat-type land imaging data. The bottom line is that a sustained program is not viable under current mission development and management practices. Instead, the NRC calls for a “systematic and deliberate program” instead of the “historical pattern of chaotic programmatic support and ad hoc design and implementation of spacecraft and sensors” that has characterized the Landsat program to date.
… In short, the report calls for a “systematic and deliberate program with the goal of continuing to collect vital data within lower, well-defined, manageable budgets” to “replace the historical pattern of chaotic programmatic support and ad hoc design and implementation of spacecraft and sensors in the Landsat series.”

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4 responses to “NRC: Landsat Data Not Sustainable”

  1. Michael Spencer says:
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    Oh. At first I thought they were talking about the entire US Space program. Nice to see some focus.

  2. MattW2 says:
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    Why the heck is this not done under a data purchase contract?

  3. dogstar29 says:
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    Landsat is a longstanding program and was the first effort in the world to systematically collect imaging data on the entire earth from orbit. Perhaps there does need to be some clarity on what aspects of this effort are now commercially available, but commercial providers are seldom prepared to invest in new technology. Perhaps NASA could work with commercial providers to fly and test new sensors, or NASA could lease those sensors that are considered mature on the NASA satellites to commercial providers. However if there is data NASA can provide more efficiently than private industry, there is no reason it should not continue to do so.

  4. Steve Whitfield says:
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    If I can believe what I’ve heard elsewhere, Landsat has long been inflicted with changing players, priorities and budgets. At various times things were done differently not by negligence or poor management, but out of simple necessity, trying to get the best they could from the resources available. I’m personally considering this as only hearsay. If this is indeed the case, however, then I’d say they’ve done wonders in providing what they have over the years.