TERRA

Earth Observing System’s flagship

satellite
In trodu cti
on
Wh at i s
Terra ?
•multi-national, multi-disciplinary mission
involving partnerships of NASA with the
aerospace agencies of Canada and Japan
•managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
Center
•scientific research satellite
•sun-synchronous orbit
•EOS AM-1 (previous name)
•carries a suite of five sophisticated sensors
that will examine how Earth’s oceans,
atmosphere and land interact with each other
to help us better understand and protect our
home planet
Obj ectiv e
s
•have at least 15 years worth of data on
the planet, providing a literal checkup
of its health, including the effects of
human activity
•help scientists measure the
movements of carbon through Earth’s
climate system
•turn the raw data collected by Terra
into literally dozens and dozens of
types of global maps, detailing
everything from cloud types to leaf
density in forests to land cover
Hist or
y
NASA launched the $1.3 billion worth
Earth Observing System's flagship
satellite "Terra," which is the Latin
name for Earth, on December 18,
1999.
The satellite first launched from
Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
aboard an Atlas-Centaur 2-AS rocket
and it began collecting data on
February 24, 2000.
Terra's ride to space,
the Lockheed Martin
Atlas 2AS rocket,
during tests at
Vandenberg Air
Force Base in
California.
TERRA ’s Spe cif ic ati ons

-has a vantage point of 438 miles/705km

above our world and it orbits the Earth more
than fourteen times a day descending across
the equator at 10:30 a.m. local time each day
when cloud cover over land surfaces is at a
minimum and it will be able to observe nearly
the entire globe
Mission
In strumen tatio n
Terra has five sensors:
2.Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission
and Reflection Radiometer
3.Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System
4.Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer
5.Moderate-resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer
6.Measurements of Pollution in the
Troposphere
Adv an ced S pace borne Th erma l
Emissio n an d R ef le ctio n
Radio me ter
(ASTER )
•obtain detailed maps of land surface
temperature, reflectance and elevation –
February 2000
•measures cloud properties, vegetation
index, surface mineralogy, soil properties,
surface temperature and topography
•highest spatial resolution among the
other sensors in Terra
•obtains images of the Earth in 14
different wavelengths of the EMS that is
ranging from visible to thermal infrared
light
•collects an average of 8 minutes of
data per orbit
Spatial resolution: 15m, 30m, 90 m

Spectral resolution: 0.520um to 11.65um

Temporal resolution: 16 days

Radiometric resolution: ≤ 0.5%, ≤ 0.5%-

1.5% and 0.3Kb from its three
radiometers
AST ER’ s dat a p rodu ct s:

•spectral radiances and reflectance of the

Earth's surface;
•surface temperature and emissivity’s;
•digital elevation maps from stereo images;
•surface composition and vegetation maps;
•cloud, sea ice, and polar ice products; and
•observation of natural hazards (volcanoes,
etc.)
Wha t A STE R t ell s us :

3. Surface condition - detailed information on

earth surface conditions (e.g. vegetation,
geological features) together with their
distribution
4. Surface temperature - thermal infrared
sensor can observe surface temperature
5. DEM (Digital Elevation Model) - generated
from a stereo-pair of images acquired with
nadir and backward angles over the same
area
75.00 EUR = 106.790 USD at geoville.com
Kasatochi Island, a hazard
Digital Elevation Model
Cl ouds and Ear th 's Radia nt Ener gy System
(CERES )

-measures the Earth’s radiation budget, or the

difference between the energy received at the Earth
from the sun and the amount radiated back into
space

Mul ti -ang le Im ag ing Spec tror adiom eter

(MI SR )

- looks in nine directions at once to measure the

variation in the amount of light scattered by the
Earths surface, clouds and particles in its
Modera te-res olu tio n
Ima ging
Spec tr ora diom eter (MOD IS)
Spatial resolution: 250 m, 500 m, and 1 km

Spectral resolution: 36 spectral bands; 0.41

to 14.4 μm

Temporal resolution: 8 days

Radiometric resolution: 16 bits

•measures surface temperatures, ocean color,
global vegetation, cloud characteristics, snow
cover and other phenomena at moderate
resolutions
•capable of determining the impact of clouds
and aerosols on the Earth’s energy budget
•sensor has an unprecedented channel that
focuses on 1.375 microns used for detection
of wispy cirrus clouds, which has contributed to
global warming by trapping heat emitted from
the surface
•ideal for monitoring large-scale changes in
the biosphere that will yield new insights into
the workings of the global carbon cycle
•measure the photosynthetic activity of land
and marine plants (phytoplankton) to yield
better estimates of how much of the
greenhouse gas is being absorbed and used in
plant productivity
•helping scientists track the sources and
sinks of carbon dioxide in response to
climate changes
MODIS Surface Chlorophyll Concentration, 2000 December 6,
17:05
Southern
Maryland
 The following
figure is a satellite
image captured by
MODIS last July 30,
2009. The image
shows fires in
Alaska and the
Yukon Territory.
Mea sure me nts of Pol lut io n in the
Tropos ph ere ( MOP ITT )

- measures methane and carbon monoxide

concentrations in the lower atmosphere, or
from the ground up to 10 miles (16
kilometers).
 Benefits
to Society
helping scientists all over the world tackle
important questions about the causes and
effects of environmental changes
scientists make use of Terra’s captured
information to reveal some important clues
to help them solve the mystery of the
missing carbon that will help us find a
solution to global warming
 MODIS instrument produces a global map of
the location and quantity of carbon dioxide
drawn out of the air and fixed by vegetation
during photosynthesis
tracking global pollution
adding to our understanding of how pollution
spreads around the globe
 by using two complementary instruments on
Terra, scientists were able to tell the
difference between pollutants originating
from wildfires and those from urban and
industrial sources
MOPITT instrument provided CO data, while
the MODIS instrument recorded aerosol data
it is possible to make comprehensive studies
in the field of environmental science
 tracking plant growth
ASTER and MODIS instruments to monitor
large agricultural regions and assess the
health of croplands
produce maps of the “greenness” of the
landscape, which scientists use as a measure
of how much plant growth is occurring
QUESTIONS:
2. What is the main goal and purpose of
TERRA Satellite?
3. Name the five sensors aboard Terra.
4. What are some of the most common
benefits of Terra to humankind?
5. Explain how Terra helps us track global
pollution.
6. When was Terra launched and when did it
start collecting data?
ANSWERS:

3. Terra’s goal is to have at least 15 years worth of

data on the planet, providing a literal checkup of
its health, including the effects of human activity. 
4. a. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and
Reflection Radiometer
b. Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System
c. Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer
d. Moderate-resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer
e. Measurements of Pollution in the
Troposphere
3. Terra is helping scientists all over the world tackle
important questions about the causes and effects of
environmental changes. Another area in which Terra helps us
is through tracking global pollution. Data from the satellite is
adding to our understanding of how pollution spreads around
the globe. Furthermore, tracking plant growth is also an
important way in which Terra gives back to society. Generally,
Terra’s major contributions are for the field of Earth sciences.
Terra helps us figure out the changes in our environment,
detect the source of these changes and give clues to the
solutions of such environmental dilemmas.
4. Data from the satellite is adding to our
understanding of how pollution spreads around the
globe. By using two complementary instruments on
Terra, scientists were able to tell the difference
between pollutants originating from wildfires and
those from urban and industrial sources. The
MOPITT instrument provided CO data, while the
MODIS instrument recorded aerosol data.

5. December 18, 1999, February 24, 2000