Landsats Aff

Power Projection - Solvency

Landsat key to the military – Gulf War proves

Future of Land Imaging Interagency Working Group 7 (National Science and Technology Council, Office of Science and Technology Policy, headed by John H. Marburger III, Science Advisor to the President, August, http://www.landimaging.gov/fli_iwg_report_print_ready_low_res.pdf, accessed 7-3-11, JMB)

Whereas the specific applications of Landsat for national security are typically for classified uses and therefore cannot be discussed in this report, Landsat plays a role in U.S. military operations and intelligence gathering. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Landsat greatly improved global surveillance during the 1990 Gulf War and improved tactical management of troops maneuvering in unfamiliar terrain using uncharted regional road networks. An unclassified assessment of the operations and impact of those space operations conducted by the U.S. Space Command and its components stated that: “The military utility of multi-spectral imagery (MSI) was clearly demonstrated during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Many of the maps that the U.S. forces carried with them of Kuwait City and the area of operations (AO) were made from MSI products. The planning and execution of strike operations were often dependent on MSI data provided by the U.S. commercial LANDSAT spacecraft and its French counterpart, SPOT (Satellite Probatoire d’Observation de la Terre (Exploratory Satellite for Earth Observation)).”17 See the Classified Annex to this report for more details about the value of moderateresolution land imagery for intelligence uses and other aspects of national security operations.
Landsats key to security

Chakroborty 7(RC, Visiting Prof @ JIET, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, 12/11, http://www.myreaders.info/02_Satellite_Image_Information_threat__to__National_Security.pdf, accessed 7-3-11, CH)

Land Remote Sensing Act of 1992 This act enabled U.S. to maintain its leadership in land remote sensing by: - providing data continuity for the Landsat program, - establishing a new national Land Remote Sensing Policy, - implementing a fundamental change, rejecting full commercialization in favor of a more long-term, and protective development of the remote sensing industry under the guidance of the DoD and NASA. The relevant extracts from this act of 1992: Sec.2 Findings, Sec.3 Definitions , and Sec. 103 Data Policy are stated below. ^ Extracts from Sec. 2. Findings : declared - The continuous collection and utilization of land remote sensing data from space are of major benefit in studying and understanding human impacts on the global environment, in managing the Earth's natural resources, in carrying out national security functions, and in planning and conducting many other activities of scientific, economic, and social importance. –
Landsats key to military

National Science and Technology Council 7 (8/7, http://www.landimaging.gov/fli_iwg_report_print_ready_low_res.pdf, accessed 7-3-11, CH)

Land imaging satellites, a specialized class of Earth observation tools whose origins lie in a diverse range of fields, were also considered ripe for commercial development and use since the early years of the space age. High-resolution imaging satellites, whose historic roots lay in aerial photography, have always been considered important for U.S. military surveillance and intelligence operations and are increasingly significant in a number of civil fields, including mapping, urban planning, and disaster management. Landsat set a standard for international cooperation due to its adoption of an Open Skies remote sensing data policy, including both U.S. and international open access to Landsat data and direct transmission of satellite data to numerous nations around the world as Landsat passes over their territory.
Landsats key to military dominance—intel, surveillance, tracking

National Science and Technology Council 7 (8/7, http://www.landimaging.gov/fli_iwg_report_print_ready_low_res.pdf, accessed 7-3-11, CH)

Whereas the specific applications of Landsat for national security are typically for classified uses and therefore cannot be discussed in this report, Landsat plays a role in U.S. military operations and intelligence gathering. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Landsat greatly improved global surveillance during the 1990 Gulf War and improved tactical management of troops maneuvering in unfamiliar terrain using uncharted regional road networks. An unclassified assessment of the operations and impact of those space operations conducted by the U.S. Space Command and its components stated that: “The military utility of multi-spectral imagery (MSI) was clearly demonstrated during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Many of the maps that the U.S. forces carried with them of Kuwait City and the area of operations (AO) were made from MSI products. The planning and execution of strike operations were often dependent on MSI data provided by the U.S. commercial LANDSAT spacecraft and its French counterpart, SPOT (Satellite Probatoire d’Observation de la Terre (Exploratory Satellite for Earth Observation)).” 17 See the Classified Annex to this report for more details about the value of moderateresolution land imagery for intelligence uses and other aspects of national security operations.

Reconnaissance - Solvency

Landsats key to reconnaissance satellites—thermal imagery detects facilities
Sepp 00 (Eric, Lt Colonel USAF, May, Air War College, http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/cst/csat14.pdf, accessed 7-4-11, CH)

As the capabilities and flexibility of satellites for gathering accurate and highly detailed intelligence information continue to increase, their role is becoming more central to intelligence operations, including the ability to detect deeply buried facilities. For example, reconnaissance satellites use an array of high resolution imaging and sensors, such as the Landsat's multispectral scanner, to provide clues about the existence of Underground facilities and their activities. This relies on infrared, thermal, and multispectral imaging of the surrounding land and the facility. Furthermore, reconnaissance satellites can be used to estimate what is being produced at a particular site based on the size of storage tanks, number of rail cars, size of the roads, and other external features. Landsat's thermal imagery can detect, in sections of land that are the size of a front lawn, vent duct arrays or the heat generated by underground facilities if they are close enough to the surface. Its blue-band filter can also detect the smoke and gases that are emitted from underground vents. While underground facilities are difficult to locate, roads or tracks leading into the side of a mountain or disappearing underground often help to reveal their location. Furthermore, commercial firms have developed the software that detects changes between images that are generated over time, which is known as change detection software. Acquiring images of the same terrain over a period of time is a common way for using satellites to monitor activities and changes in areas where deeply buried facilities are suspected to exist.