NASA | Earth Observing Landsat 5 Turns 25 Years Old

On March 1, the Earth-observing Landsat 5 satellite celebrated 25 years in orbit. Twenty-two years beyond its primary mission lifetime, Landsat 5 is still going strong, making it a keystone of the 37-year Landsat Program. Among Landsat 5's many scientific uses, it has charted urban growth in Las Vegas, monitored fire scars in Yellowstone National Park, and tracked the retreat of a Greenland glacier. Data from the satellite turns up frequently in scientific literature, and should continue to do so, particularly now that the images are available free of charge or copyright.