Landsat 5 Resumes Operations (Forwarded)

Office of Communication
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior
119 National Center
Reston, VA 20192

Contact Information: Ron Beck
Phone: 703-648-6168

Released: 1/30/2006

Landsat 5 Resumes Operations

Landsat 5 is back in operation after imaging operations were temporarily
suspended due to technical difficulties. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
and NASA engineers were able to adjust the operating procedures for the
solar array drive mechanism, providing enough power for the mission to
resume normal operations. Consequently, acquisition operations have begun
over the conterminous U.S., and the international stations will be brought
on line in the coming weeks.

The solar array drive mechanism began exhibiting problems in late November
2005. The rotation of the solar array drive became sporadic and the solar
array was not able to provide the power needed to charge the batteries. As
a precaution, imaging operations were suspended until the problem was
identified and potential solutions were evaluated and tested.

"This is good news for the global science and operational communities,"
said Jay Feuquay, Land Remote Sensing Program Coordinator for the USGS.
"The Landsat Program has a well-established record of over 30 years of
earth observations. The latest developments allow the Landsat user
community to continue to rely on Landsat imagery. I am optimistic about
the 'fix' applied to the solar array problem and the future operations of
Landsat 5. At the same time, we are moving aggressively to develop a
Landsat Data Continuity Mission that will provide Landsat data
continuity."

Landsat 5, launched in March 1984, has performed far beyond its three-year
design lifetime and has continued to collect global land surface coverage.
Over 620,000 images, illustrating events from the Chernobyl disaster to
Hurricane Katrina, have proven invaluable for identifying the impact of
natural and human-induced changes. Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 together
provided full global coverage of the Earth's surface.

The Landsat Program is the longest running civilian program providing
vital images of the Earth's surface from space. The first Landsat
satellite was launched in 1972 and since then, Landsat satellites have
been providing a constant stream of moderate-resolution images. In 1999,
the Landsat Program took a giant leap forward technologically with the
launch of Landsat 7. The instruments on the Landsat satellites have
acquired millions of images of the surface of the planet, providing a
unique resource for scientists who study agriculture, geology, forestry,
regional planning, education, mapping and global change research.

The Landsat Program has been a joint initiative of USGS and NASA to gather
Earth resource data using a series of satellites including Landsats 5 and
7. NASA is responsible for developing and launching the spacecrafts, while
the USGS is responsible for flight operations, maintenance, and management
of all data reception, processing, archiving, product generation, and
distribution. The primary objective of the Landsat Program is to ensure a
consistent, calibrated collection of Earth imagery that can be used to
scientifically measure change over decades and beyond, and support the
operational agencies. Landsat's global survey mission is to repeatedly
capture images of the Earth's land mass, coastal boundaries, and coral
reefs; and to ensure the data acquired are of maximum utility in
supporting the objectives of monitoring changes in the Earth's land
surface and associated environment.

Updates and further information are available at
http://landsat.usgs.gov/

The USGS serves the nation by providing reliable scientific information to
describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from
natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral
resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.