Terra | The EOS Flagship Update on Terra’s New Orbit: Since 2020, Terra has been drifting to an earlier equator crossing time, and in October 2022 was lowered by ~5km in altitude These changes in orbit did not reduce the data quality of Terra products, and only created minor changes to orbital repeat time and swath width (for some instruments)
About Terra Processed Terra data are available through several NASA data centers Current life expectancy: Terra has far exceeded its design life and has a strong chance of operating successfully into the early 2020s Terra began drifting in February of 2020 Read more about Terra’s drifting or see key dates below Key dates of Drift
Data - Terra Terra’s five instruments produce 83 core data products which are distributed through the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LPDAAC), the Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC), Ocean Color Web, Level 1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System, and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Mission - Terra Terra observations reveal humanity’s impact on the planet and provide crucial data about natural hazards like fire and volcanoes See Terra science Terra is an international mission carrying instruments from the United States, Japan, and Canada
Science - Terra As the Flagship Earth Observing Satellite, Terra was the first satellite to look at Earth system science, collecting multiple types of data dedicated to various areas of Earth science Scientists are able to document relationships between Earth’s systems and examine their connections
Terra Instruments Terra collects data about the Earth’s bio-geochemical and energy systems using five sensors that observe the atmosphere, land surface, oceans, snow and ice, and energy budget Each sensor has unique features that enable scientists to meet a wide range of science objectives The five Terra onboard
Images - Terra Home for the Terra Satellite Earth Observing System
data - Terra Terra will also continue collecting data after an orbit lowering maneuver planned for Fall 2022 The maneuver upholds agreements to ensure Terra is a safe distance from the other missions in the 705-km Earth Observing Satellite Constellation when fuel to maintain Terra’s orbit has been depleted
ASTER | Terra Unlike the other instruments aboard Terra, ASTER will not collect data continuously; rather, it collects an average of 8 minutes of data per orbit All three ASTER telescopes (VNIR, SWIR, and TIR) are pointable in the crosstrack direction