Mapping in the Modern World MAPPING THE PHYSICAL WORLD Charlie Samuels Crabtree Publishing Company www crabtreebooks com
SATELLITE SYSTEMS The invention of satellites that orbit Earth capturing images and collecting data has transformed the way cartographers map the physical world The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite Sputnik into space in 1957 It orbited or circled Earth 358 miles 577 km above the planet surface The first satellite to take images was Landsat launched by the United States in 1972 The images gave geographers a new view of the planet the view from space In 1976 photographs from Landsat 1 revealed an uninhabited or empty island off the coast of Canada Cartographers named it Landsat Island This image from Landsat 8 shows the location of tiny Landsat Island northeast of Labrador in Canada Landsat Island 1 mi 4
Today around 2,200 satellites orbit Earth at different heights They take many thousands of images collecting data on subjects as varied as how household aerosols interact with the ozone layer to smoke pollution caused by crop burning The View from Space Since its launch in 1972 NASA’s Landsat program has been continually mapping Earth It has mapped growing urbanization melting ice caps deforestation and coastal erosion The program helps cartographers map things that are difficult to see from the ground such as shrinking coral reefs Landsat images have also revealed unknown details such as the head of the Lambert Glacier in Antarctica the world’s largest glacier Landsat 8 was launched in 2013 and was scheduled to stay in service until 2021 Landsat 8 was launched in February 2013 The large solar panels generate energy to power the satellite’s scientific instruments Maps and Me My Changing Town How has your town changed over the years Ask if your local library has old maps of the town Compare how it looks on a map today with how it looked 10 20 or even 100 years ago Has it gotten bigger Can you figure out why any new construction was located where it is 5
