Special Topics: LDCM and LDCM Components
The Cryocooler is like a big refrigerator, except that it cools to cryogenic temperatures (below −150°C, −238°F or 123K). It is responsible for cooling our detectors to 43K (-382F). This is very cold and the temperature at which we must maintain our detectors in order to get optimal thermal data. It was built by Ball Aerospace in Boulder, CO and will be the first of its kind to fly. It is a very complicated mechanical system that uses a compressor and displacer to provide its cooling.

Above the Earth, Below the Surface: Landsat’s Role in Monitoring Water Quality
Safeguarding freshwater resources is crucial, and while scientists use a variety of ground-based techniques to gauge water quality, the Landsat program has provided water quality data from orbit for decades.