Overview

From its beginning in November 2000,

the NASA Earth Observing-1 (EO-1)

mission demonstrated the feasibility and

performance of a dozen innovative

sensor, spacecraft, and operational

technologies. The 1-year mission tested a

variety of technologies, some of which

may be included on the planned 2007

Landsat Data Continuity Mission.

Onboard the spacecraft are two land

remote sensing instruments: the

Advanced Land Imager (ALI), which

acquires data in spectral bands and at

resolutions similar to Landsat, and

Hyperion, which acquires data in 220 

10-nanometer-wide bands covering the

visible, near-, and shortwave-infrared

bands.

Recognizing the remarkable performance

of the satellite's instruments and the

exceptional value of the data, the U.S.

Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA

agreed in December 2001 to share

responsibility for operating EO-1 on a

cost-reimbursable basis as long as

customer sales are sufficient to recover

flight and ground operations costs. 

The EO-1 extended mission operates

within constraints imposed by its

technology-pioneering origins, but it also

provides unique and valuable

capabilities. The spacecraft can acquire

a target scene three times in a 16-day

period. The ALI instrument has

additional spectral coverage and greater

radiometric dynamic range compared

with the sensors on Landsat 7. Hyperion

is the first civilian spaceborne

hyperspectral imager. As of January

2003, more than 5,000 scenes had been

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Fact Sheet 032-03

March 2003

Earth Observing-1 Extended Mission

Landsat Hyperion ALI

Landsat 7 image on the Nevada / California border, with ALI and Hyperion data

embeded. Outlines represent the full width of the Hyperion (8-km) and ALI (37-

km image swath.

ALI panchromatic (10-m resolution) image of Goldfield, Nevada.

See red dot on composite image for location
acquired, indexed, and archived.

Extended Mission Roles 

NASA and the USGS are operating the

EO-1 mission as efficiently as possible,

using the infrastructure and operational

strengths of each agency. The USGS

EROS Data Center (EDC) in Sioux Falls,

S. Dak., is responsible for acquisition

scheduling, data reception, order

processing, acquisition cataloging,

archiving, and product distribution. The

USGS will maintain the entire collection

in its long-term archive of global land

data after the satellite has been

decommissioned.

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

(GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md., manages the

mission and operates the spacecraft. The

GSFC coordinates data collection among

the network of polar and U.S. ground

stations. The GSFC also periodically

adjusts the spacecraft orbit, ensuring that

it follows by 1 minute along the same

ground track as Landsat 7. NASA will

deorbit and decommission the spacecraft

at the conclusion of the mission.

Extended Mission Goals

 Sustain and enhance USGS and NASA

research and development toward

applications of hyperspectral and

pushbroom optical scanner data within

the U.S. research and operational user

communities 

 Promote opportunities in the remote 

sensing community to apply evolving

imaging technology for government,

scientific, and industry applications 

 Provide greater insight into potential 

commercial developers' prototype

instrument performance 

 Add unique land remote sensing 

datasets to the USGS National Satellite

Land Remote Sensing Data Archive 

 Characterize long-term performance of 

EO-1 advanced technology sensors

Applications

USGS and NASA scientists believe both

Landsat-like and hyperspectral data from

EO-1 are valuable for various

applications: 

 Land cover studies

 Ecosystem monitoring

 Mineral and petroleum exploration

 Agricultural crop discrimination and 

assessment

 Environmental damage assessments

EO-1 data offer information in a wide

range of bandwidths. The satellite flies

in formation with Landsat 7 and builds

on the technology developed by the

Landsat Program. Further, EO-1 data

provide a sensor and technology

prototype for future space-based remote

sensing missions, offering the global

science community an important

transition database.

Data Products and Availability 

Customers are encouraged to use the

USGS Web-based Earth Explorer (EE)

catalog search capability to find archived

scenes that lie within their geographic

and temporal window. EE allows userspecified place-name and map-based

searches within a given timeframe.

False-color browse images allow the user

to determine usability based on cloud

cover. 

 New acquisitions of specific locations 

can be ordered for $1,500. 

 Acquisitions will be retaken up to two 

times if assessed cloud cover over the 

scene exceeds 25 percent. 

 Radiometrically corrected products, 

either from the archive or new 

acquisitions, may be ordered for $500. 

 Products are distributed over FTP or 

on CD/DVD media, typically within 7 

to 10 business days for new 

acquisitions or 3 days if purchased 

from the archive. 

 Products are available in HDF EOS 

format.

Information

To learn how to query the catalog of

existing data, to order EO-1 data, or to

obtain sample datasets, please go to:

eo1.usgs.gov

earthexplorer.usgs.gov

Technical information about the EO-1

mission, satellite, sensors, and science

can be accessed at eo1.gsfc.nasa.gov

For information on other USGS products

and services, call 1-888-ASK-USGS or

visit the general interest publications

Web site on mapping, geography, and

related topics at erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/

pubslists/.

For additional information, visit the

ask.usgs.gov Web site or the USGS home

page at www.usgs.gov.

EO-1 images a small part of the same location on

the ground 1 minute after Landsat 7.

Island of Oahu, Hawaii, imaged by ALI.