A U.S. rocket carrying an Earth-observing satellite launched Monday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to continue a mission to document changes to the planet's natural resources. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) $855 million Landsat satellite will maintain a continuous watch on Earth's glaciers, forests, and shorelines from space. Since the first Landsat launch in 1972, the satellites have monitored drought conditions, global crop output, shrinking glaciers, and the effects of urban sprawl. The latest Landsat will join Landsat 7, launched in 1999. While Landsat 7 continues to provide daily observations, a problem with one of its instruments has reduced the amount of data it can gather. The USGS recently decided to retire its Landsat 5 satellite after almost 30 years in service.
