SourceThe View from Above: The Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments
Verifying human vision from space led to the development of Earth-observing instruments, including the 1972 launch of Landsat 1 for monitoring crops and disasters.
- Originally named the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) and launched in 1972
- Equipped with a camera and multi-spectral scanner
- Developed in partnership with USGS, ONR, and USDA following early astronaut Earth observations