33 Questions
How many operational GPS satellites are in orbit, and what is their orbital altitude?
21+ GPS satellites are in orbit at an altitude of 20,000 km
What type of orbits have a period of 98-102 minutes and are typically used for weather monitoring and polar-orbiting satellites?
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
What is the orbital radius of a geosynchronous satellite, and what is its orbital period?
42,164 km, with an orbital period of 1 day
What type of orbits have a highly elliptical shape and are used to provide coverage of higher latitudes and polar regions?
Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEO)
What type of satellites use Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) for navigation, remote sensing, weather monitoring, and communications?
GPS, navigation, and weather monitoring satellites
What is the altitude above the Earth's surface where GOES (Geosynchronous Operational Environmental Satellites) weather satellites are typically placed?
35,786 km
What type of orbit do most satellites in the provided list occupy, and what is its characteristic in terms of the timing of its passes over a particular location on Earth?
Most satellites occupy sun-synchronous orbit, which passes over the same part of the Earth at roughly the same local time each day.
How does the non-spherical shape of the Earth affect the orbital plane of a sun-synchronous satellite?
The Earth's slightly ellipsoidal shape causes the orbital plane to rotate slowly around the Earth.
How does the dwell time of whiskbroom scanners compare to across-track scanners?
Whiskbroom scanners have longer dwell time than across-track scanners.
What is the name of the company that has managed satellite operation and data handling for Landsat since 1984?
EOSAT
What is the primary benefit of a sun-synchronous orbit in terms of remote sensing applications?
It provides consistent lighting conditions for a given location, which is essential for some remote sensing applications.
What determines the size of the field of view of a satellite?
The altitude of the satellite's orbit and the type of sensor or instrument onboard determine the size of the field of view.
What is the name of the sensor type used in Landsat-4 and -5?
Thematic Mapper (TM)
What is the primary difference between a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and a Geostationary Orbit (GEO) in terms of their applications?
LEO is used for reconnaissance, localized weather, and imaging of natural resources, while GEO is used for applications that require a fixed location over the equator.
What is the name of the error that developed in the Landsat-7 satellite in 2003?
Scan line error
What is the advantage of a satellite's ability to revisit the same location on the Earth's surface?
It enables change detection and monitoring of temporal changes over a specific area.
What is the spatial resolution of the multispectral data collected by the Landsat satellite over Harriman Reservoir, VT?
30m
What is the primary benefit of off-nadir viewing in satellite imaging?
Acquisition of stereoscopic imagery and shorter revisit interval
What is the significance of the satellite's sun-synchronous orbit and 10:30 AM equator crossing time?
It enables the satellite to image any point on 95% of the Earth's surface at any given day
What feature of the IKONOS satellite enables it to follow meandering features and capture side-by-side and fore-aft stereo imaging?
The entire spacecraft's ability to move and point at a new target, stabilizing itself in seconds
What is the primary difference between the panchromatic and multispectral modes of the IKONOS satellite?
Panchromatic mode has a higher spatial resolution (1m) compared to multispectral mode (4m)
What is the advantage of the DigitalGlobe satellite's high altitude (770 km) and sun-synchronous orbit?
Short revisit time and increased on-board storage
What is the significance of the 8 spectral bands in the DigitalGlobe satellite?
It enables the capture of detailed and nuanced spectral information
What is the spatial resolution of the Multispectral Pan band in Landsat-7 ETM+?
30m
What is the nominal spectral range of Band 1 in Landsat-7 ETM+?
.450 to .515
What is the repeat cycle of Landsat-7 ETM+?
16 days
What is the swath width of Landsat-7 ETM+?
183 km
How many scenes does Landsat 8 collect every day?
approximately 500
What is the primary advantage of the new coastal blue band in Landsat 8?
detection of water column constituents
What is the current status of Landsat 5?
decommissioned
What is the purpose of the Sustainable Land Imaging Architecture Study?
to derive a plan for sustained global land imaging for 20 years beyond the design life of Landsat 8
What is the name of the French Space Agency's satellite program?
Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre
What is the advantage of the Pushbroom scanners used in the SPOT satellites?
ability to observe a region of interest at an oblique angle to the vertical
Test your knowledge of satellite sensors and their spatial resolutions, including QuickBird, IKONOS, and Landsat. Learn about the importance of consistent lighting and sun angles in satellite imagery.
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