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#           Eyes on Earth Episode 87 – Landsat 5’s Significance, Part 1      

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      By Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center       January 9, 2023    

## Eyes on Earth podcast

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Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn about the significance of the fifth satellite in the 50-year-old Landsat program and its remarkable ability to observe the Earth for nearly 29 years.

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**Summary:** Designed to last three years, Landsat 5 launched in 1984 and transmitted data until the launch of Landsat 8 in 2013. In this episode, we learn about the significance of this satellite, which set a Guinness World Record for “Longest Operating Earth Observation Satellite.” Our two guests served on the flight operations team in the satellite’s twilight years and describe its importance to the unbroken record of Landsat data. They also share their personal connections with the satellite—including a journey from watching the launch on a monitor at EROS to eventually leading the team.

**Guests:** Steve Covington, former Landsat 5 flight manager, now Aerospace Corp. contractor serving as the principal systems engineer for the USGS National Land Imaging Program; and Jeff Devine, former Landsat 5 lead operations engineer, now KBR contractor leading the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Flight Operations Team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

**Host:** Jane Lawson (contractor for USGS EROS)

**Producer:** Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)

**Release date:** Monday, January 9, 2023

**More about Landsat 5:**
                                - Episode 88—Landsat 5's Significance, Part 2
                                - Landsat 5—Landsat Missions
                                - USGS Geonarrative—Landsat 5
                                - The Legacy of Landsat 5—farewells from the remote sensing community
                                - How to Manage a Satellite Going 17K MPH—Library of Congress presentation by Steve Covington

### Study Area

### Contacts

#### Timothy A. Glynn

##### Chief of Staff

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

tglynn@usgs.gov

605-594-6046

### Explore Search

                      - Landsat 
                      - Information Systems
                      - Maps and Mapping
                      - Landsat 5
                      - Landsat Missions
                      - Eyes on Earth
                      - Landsat Archive
                      - flight operations team
                      - Pecora 22
                      - 2020 William T Pecora Award

View All **

Learn more about Landsat 5 with these geonarratives.

 

July 21, 2022

####                 Landsat: 50 Years Observing a Changing Earth              

For a half-century, the Landsat satellites have revealed patterns of change across our crowded planet. Learn more with this storymap that ESRI and USGS created together.

Core Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Landsat Legacy, Landsat Missions

May 17, 2022

####                 Landsat 5 Overview              

Landsat 5 remains the only Earth-observing satellite with  a Guinness World Record , holding the title for "Longest Operating Earth Observation Satellite" after servicing our planet for nearly 29 years. Launched in 1984 and retired in 2013, Landsat 5 recorded many important events, including scientific discoveries, world events, and major disasters.

Core Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Landsat Legacy, Landsat Missions

Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we learn about the significance of the fifth satellite in the 50-year-old Landsat program and its remarkable ability to observe the Earth for nearly 29 years.

View Media Details

View

Download and Transcript Access

View Media Details

**Summary:** Designed to last three years, Landsat 5 launched in 1984 and transmitted data until the launch of Landsat 8 in 2013. In this episode, we learn about the significance of this satellite, which set a Guinness World Record for “Longest Operating Earth Observation Satellite.” Our two guests served on the flight operations team in the satellite’s twilight years and describe its importance to the unbroken record of Landsat data. They also share their personal connections with the satellite—including a journey from watching the launch on a monitor at EROS to eventually leading the team.

**Guests:** Steve Covington, former Landsat 5 flight manager, now Aerospace Corp. contractor serving as the principal systems engineer for the USGS National Land Imaging Program; and Jeff Devine, former Landsat 5 lead operations engineer, now KBR contractor leading the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Flight Operations Team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

**Host:** Jane Lawson (contractor for USGS EROS)

**Producer:** Tom Adamson (contractor for USGS EROS)

**Release date:** Monday, January 9, 2023

**More about Landsat 5:**
                                - Episode 88—Landsat 5's Significance, Part 2
                                - Landsat 5—Landsat Missions
                                - USGS Geonarrative—Landsat 5
                                - The Legacy of Landsat 5—farewells from the remote sensing community
                                - How to Manage a Satellite Going 17K MPH—Library of Congress presentation by Steve Covington

### Study Area

### Contacts

#### Timothy A. Glynn

##### Chief of Staff

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

tglynn@usgs.gov

605-594-6046

### Explore Search

                      - Landsat 
                      - Information Systems
                      - Maps and Mapping
                      - Landsat 5
                      - Landsat Missions
                      - Eyes on Earth
                      - Landsat Archive
                      - flight operations team
                      - Pecora 22
                      - 2020 William T Pecora Award

View All **

Learn more about Landsat 5 with these geonarratives.

 

July 21, 2022

####                 Landsat: 50 Years Observing a Changing Earth              

For a half-century, the Landsat satellites have revealed patterns of change across our crowded planet. Learn more with this storymap that ESRI and USGS created together.

Core Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Landsat Legacy, Landsat Missions

May 17, 2022

####                 Landsat 5 Overview              

Landsat 5 remains the only Earth-observing satellite with  a Guinness World Record , holding the title for "Longest Operating Earth Observation Satellite" after servicing our planet for nearly 29 years. Launched in 1984 and retired in 2013, Landsat 5 recorded many important events, including scientific discoveries, world events, and major disasters.

Core Science Systems Mission Area, National Land Imaging Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Landsat Legacy, Landsat Missions