Landsat and LDCM Headlines 2007

The DOI USGS EROS, located in Sioux Falls, SD, has a requirement for Flight Operations Team (FOT) support for the LDCM Observatory integration and test activities, launch readiness, launch and early orbit, and on-orbit mission operations. The LDCM consists of the Launch Segment, Space Segment, Data Processing and Archive Segment (DPAS), and the Flight Operations Segment (FOS). This effort is for the FOT support within the FOS. The FOT will manage, develop and execute test and operational policies and procedures in support of the launch and operation of the LDCM spacecraft and ground systems.

December 10, 2007 - USGS announces Request for Proposal for the Landsat Data Continuity Contract and a Technical Support Services Contract.

Landsat 5 has been collecting global data sets continuously since it was launched in March 1984. The satellite has had a series of anomalies and has lost redundancy in onboard systems, but continues to collect high-quality data.

Early Saturday, October 6, 2007, the Landsat 5 Flight Operations Team (FOT) noted that battery #2 was automatically taken off-line the previous evening. All imaging was stopped in order to conserve power. Landsat 5 has three 22-cell Nickel Cadmium batteries. During the non-sunlit part of each orbit, the batteries provide power to sustain the satellite’s electrical needs. During the day-lit period of the orbit, the solar array re-charges the batteries and meets the electrical demands of the satellite. Previously, on May 21, 2004, Landsat 5’s battery #1 was taken offline following an anomaly. With the loss of battery #2, Landsat 5’s remaining battery may have sufficient capacity to maintain the health and safety of the spacecraft and potentially continue with some level of day-lit imaging operations. Although the mission can operate with only 1 healthy battery, the potential loss of battery #2 would mean a loss in the level of redundancy.

The satellite continues to operate on battery #3, but is not collecting imagery. In this configuration, battery #3 appears to be operating normally and maintaining an adequate charge to operate the mission to required health and safety standards. Also, the FOT has uplinked a new command load that ensures health and safety of the spacecraft operating with only one battery. It is expected that the spacecraft can operate indefinitely in this configuration (barring any further complications).

Three phases to the investigation and recovery activity are underway. Each successive phase will be dependent on the outcome of the previous phase. The tentative plan includes:

Phase 1 - Maintain and ensure the continued operation of Landsat 5 utilizing only battery #3.

Phase 2 - Determine the optimum charging profile with battery #2 and battery #3 on-line. Bring battery # 2 back on-line and monitor performance. If battery #2 and battery #3 can be charged to produce sufficient power, there is a potential to operate in this configuration.

Phase 3 - Investigate bringing battery #1 back into service.

Over the last 3 weeks the FOT, with additional battery expertise from industry, has been working through these phases. The team is currently working on Phase 2 of the plan and will work with battery experts in mid-November to bring battery #2 back on-line. By the end of November, the team will have sufficient information to make a recommendation on the Landsat 5 mission concept – return to full operations or a more limited operations concept.

NASA's Launch Services Program office at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., has selected Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services of Littleton, Colo., for launching of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission. Read more...

On October 3, 2007, the USGS announced a modification to the solicitation that addressed the Technical Services Support Contract (TSSC) for USGS EROS.

"The USGS has determined that the requirement for technical support services, previously announced as a single procurement, will be divided into (1) a Landsat Data Continuity Contract (LDCC) and (2) a Technical Support Services Contract (TSSC)."

• "The LDCC will support the USGS portion of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), a partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the USGS."
• "The TSSC will provide principal support to the balance of EROS mission responsibilities..."

The entire Solicitation can be found at Fed Biz Ops:

http://www2.fbo.gov/spg/DOI/USGS/USGS/07CRRC0001/listing.html

On September 1, 2007, Landsat 5 made its 125,000th orbit of the Earth. Designed to complete only 16,000 orbits, the spacecraft continues to deliver images of our ever-changing planet daily. Through domestic and international ground stations, much of the Earth is imaged by the Thematic Mapper (TM) instrument, the operational imaging sensor aboard Landsat 5.

The satellite has experienced major failures with aging components. One of four reaction wheels, one of three batteries, one of two star trackers, and two of two solar array drives have all been deemed unusable. While the solar array cannot rotate due to the failed drive, the solar array, itself, continues to charge the onboard batteries. Innovative changes to daily operations have allowed the mission to survive and continue to downlink scenes around the world.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is pleased to announce the release of the TerraLook data product. A TerraLook product is a user-specified collection of JPEG images created from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) images from the NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, and Tri-Decadal Global Landsat Orthorectified images from the USGS archive.

TerraLook will serve GIS, natural resource management, education, and other communities, and provide easily accessible remotely-sensed data. TerraLook images are designed for visual interpretation and display, and are of value to anyone who wants to see the changes to the Earth's surface over the last 30 years.

See the full press release and graphics at: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1711

Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo. was selected to develop the Operational Land Imager instrument for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). The LDCM is the successor to Landsat 7 and is scheduled for launch in July 2011. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. will manage the LDCM development in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS will be responsible for LDCM operations after launch and on-orbit checkout. (more)

The U.S. Geological Survey USGS invites industry comments on Request For Comment on the Draft RFP for Landsat Data Continuity Mission Flight Operation Team Services in regard to Launch Readiness, Launch & Early Orbit, and Mission Operation Support, and Sections L and M for the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. All comments MUST be submitted by e-mail to sctweten@usgs.gov by July 26, 2007.

Flight Operations Team Services Statement of Work

Instructions of Offerors Document

The update to the acquisition schedule for the MOE can be found at the NASA Acquisition Internet Service.

The LDCM Data Access Tool Request for Information (RFI) has been posted to Department of the Interior: Business Opportunities.

• The update to the acquisition schedule for the MOE can be found at the NASA Acquisition Internet Service.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) share responsibility for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). NASA will develop the flight systems including the spacecraft, instrument, mission operations element and mission launch, and perform on-orbit checkout. View Entire document

The LDCM Operational Land Imager (OLI) Request For Proposals (RFP) has been posted to NASA Acquisition Information System. Vendor proposals are due on February 23, 2007.