From the vantage point of space, data from Landsat has helped increase our understanding of our planet, improve lives, and safeguard our future. Remotely sensed data from Landsat and other NASA instruments helps scientists and resource managers map and measure our planet’s vital signs and study natural and human-caused changes to our climate and environment. Explore the science of remote sensing with these curated stories and activities.
Explore the Globe with NASA
NASA operates dozens of missions to help us understand Earth on a global scale, while also connecting local events and phenomena to the big picture. Discover how NASA uses satellites, airplanes, balloons, ships, ground stations, and the International Space Station, to collect data about our air and clouds; about forests, desert, cities; about ocean currents, temperatures, and life; and ice on land and in the sea.
Story Time!
Are you ready for an adventure? Follow the journey of Echo the Bat as he makes his way from the high mountains of Arizona through cities and across deserts to find a bat cave to call home.
Data Viz
All Landsat images are made up of a combination of three bands. Learn how to download Landsat data and create your own natural-color and infrared-color image in this interactive StoryMap.
Did You Know?
Landsat satellites circle the globe every 99 minutes, collecting data about the land surfaces passing underneath. After 16 days, the Landsat satellite has passed over every spot on the globe, and recorded data in 11 different wavelength regions. The individual wavelength bands can be combined into color images, with different combinations of the 11 bands revealing different information about the condition of the land cover.
Numbers to Images
Remote sensing is the process of collecting data from a distance, such as a satellite in orbit above Earth. To create images from satellites, these numbers (or data) are displayed using the primary colors of light — red, green, and blue. In this activity, you will investigate how numbers transmitted from a satellite can be combined to make a beautiful color image.
Try This!
All Landsat images are made up of a combination of three bands. The human eye can only see in the visible wavelengths of the Electromagnetic Spectrum but we can visualize the longer wavelengths of light by placing infrared bands into these three visible channels that our eyes can perceive. This online band combination interactive allows you to experiment with creating Landsat band combinations using five bands: blue, green, red, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared.
EO Kids
EO Kids is exploring our green Earth. As the season change, discover how satellites help us look at plant health all over our planet. Plus, do your own experiment and find out what colors are hidden in your leaves.
Postcard From Camp
The front of this postcard features an infrared-color Landsat 8 image of Utahraptor State Park. Combining the shortwave-infrared, near-infrared, and blue bands highlights the geological features of the park and surrounding areas.
