110 HRES 891 EH: Celebrating 35 years of space-based
U.S. House of Representatives
2008-04-22
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EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
Whereas the year 2007 represents 35 years of continuous
collection of space-based observations of the Earth’s land cover by the United
States Landsat satellites, which have enabled increased scientific
understanding of the interrelationships of the Earth’s land cover, energy
balance, and biogeochemical processes as well as the realization of numerous
societal benefits from the applied uses of the data;
Whereas on July 23, 1972, the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration launched Landsat 1, originally called the Earth Resources
Technology Satellite, as the first civilian Earth observation satellite to
study the Earth’s land cover and monitor natural resources;
Whereas since 1972, the United States Geological Survey
has led the data archiving and distribution efforts for the Landsat program,
which has continued to collect data without interruption through the successful
launches of Landsats 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7, and has established the longest and
most comprehensive record of global land surface data ever collected;
Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
the United States Geological Survey, the Department of Commerce, the Department
of Defense, and the private sector have all played a role in Landsat’s
history;
Whereas Landsat greatly enhanced remote sensing science,
helped give rise to a global change research plan and international initiatives
to study the Earth system, and led to new types of careers in engineering and
natural sciences;
Whereas Landsat data have been used for multiple
scientific and applied purposes including cartography, land surveys and land
use planning, agricultural forecasting, water resource management, forest
management, mapping of sea ice movement, assessment of tropical deforestation,
food security, mineral and oil exploration, and global change research;
Whereas Landsat data are being widely used by Federal,
local, county, and State governments, and by foreign nations, nongovernmental
organizations, private industry, and universities;
Whereas Landsat data are collected at a scale that enables
the study of both natural and human-induced changes in land cover over time and
their impacts on the Earth’s ecosystems;
Whereas Landsat data illuminated for the first time how
human decisions, such as the expansion of cities, led to large-scale impacts on
the environment;
Whereas the U.S. Climate Change Science Program has
recognized Landsat and its long-term data record as instrumental to the study
of climate and environmental change, noting that Landsat data are
invaluable for studying the land surface and how it affects and is affected by
climate
; and
Whereas the scientific and societal benefits of the
Landsat program and its 35-year data record illustrate the significant return
on the public investment in Earth observations and the need for continued
support for this critical national asset: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)expresses its
appreciation to all of the dedicated scientists, engineers, and program
personnel who have contributed to the successful development and operation of
the Landsat program over the past 35 years;
(2)looks forward to another 35 years of
continuous Landsat-like observations of the Earth;
(3)urges the
continuation of the Landsat program and data record so as to sustain Landsat’s
value to scientific research, especially the study of global and climate
change, and to the myriad applied uses of the data for societal benefit;
and
(4)believes that the
Nation should continue to support the research, technological improvements,
educational outreach, and development of decision making tools required to
expand the use of Landsat data separately and as integrated with other Earth
observations data.
Lorraine C. Miller,
Clerk.