ONE SATELLITE FOR THE WORLD: THE AMERICAN LANDSAT EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE IN USE, 1953-2008 A Dissertation Presented to The Academic Faculty By Brian Michael Jirout In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in History and Sociology of Technology and Science Georgia Institute of Technology May 2017 Copyright © Brian Michael Jirout 2017 ONE SATELLITE FOR THE WORLD: THE AMERICAN LANDSAT EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE IN USE, 1953-2008 Approved by: Dr. John Krige, Advisor School of History and Sociology Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Roger Launius National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Dr. Kristie Macrakis School of History and Sociology Georgia Institute of Technology Dr. Neil Maher Federated Department of History New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University at Newark Dr. Jenny Leigh Smith School of History and Sociology Georgia Institute of Technology Date approved: 2 December 2016 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It certainly takes a village to raise child, and this clichéd idiom very much is true of a graduate student undertaking a dissertation as well. When I was a child growing up, I always had a distinct interest in geography and history, but in college, I ultimately had to study one or the other. I am deeply thankful that I was able to combine these interests in graduate school and study these fields simultaneously. Really, I simply wanted to research and write a thesis that would allow me to travel and look at a lot of maps. I have been so excited and humbled that I had an unending amount of support and interest from so many people in this endeavor. I would not be the person I am today without it. Of course the errors are my own, but this document reflects an experience I would not trade for another because of all the people mentioned here. My committee was supportive from the start. I am so grateful to say that each of you were instrumental in my education and an inquisitive mentor. I appreciate every moment of help and patience with my work and all the careful, constructive criticism. I first met Roger Launius at SHOT in Cleveland in 2010. He always asked point blank the tough questions and told me how to write a dissertation in a straight forward way. Roger was also crucial to meeting several people who led me to the resources I needed to write this dissertation. It was truly a pleasure to work for him as an intern and later a fellow at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. I am especially thankful to Roger for making my time in Washington as rigorous as it was enjoyable. Kristie Macrakis first triggered my interest in Earth observation satellites. In my first graduate course ever, she encouraged me to read about the Corona spy satellites and intelligence. While I did not pursue Corona, it was not long after that I was obsessed with studying Landsat and the intelligence community. She tirelessly read this dissertation in its entirety offering the most detailed feedback making this revision enjoyable. Dr. Jenny Smith provided valuable iii insight encouraging me to think about Landsat and its data in different ways and I am very thankful for her instruction and support through my comps in environmental history. While at a conference at University of Pennsylvania, I met Dr. Neil Maher who became an invaluable member of my committee. I thank him for his support, encouragement, and brilliant reading of my work that challenged me to write about Landsat in compelling, creative ways. Dr. Doug Flamming is another member of HSOC who was especially helpful as I prepared for my comps but even more inspiring as someone whom I learned how to teach from. Most of all, I most graciously thank John Krige for his unending patience, charisma, and brilliance that inspired me to pursue this dissertation. He often says that to complete a dissertation, such as this one, it takes passion. His passion for history that inspired me to attend Georgia Tech and his challenging questions, support, and enthusiasm for his graduate students that kept me inspired. John Krige fought hard to make sure all my intellectual goals happened, whether it was studying in France, winning fellowships, or attending conferences as far away as Vancouver and Copenhagen, I am forever thankful for his efforts making my goals a reality. I am forever indebted to him and will always appreciate his time, effort, and commitment to making me into the scholar I envisioned I could be. While dissertations are written independently, I shared this experience and learned from so many others. The graduate community of HSOC (well, to me it was HTS) helped me grow and I owe them a lot of appreciation for letting me talk endlessly about space, Landsat, bureaucracy, and the like. In particular, Dr. Hyoung Joon An, Dr. Liang Yao, Jonah Bea-Taylor, and Amanda Domingues are especially due thanks. They lent their time, intellect, and patience (and even sometimes their couches to sleep on!) and offered insights into my work I often left unseen. As I go forward, I wish them the very best and am proud to say they are more than just iv colleagues, but friends. I have had the pleasure of meeting students in other departments as well, I appreciate Ruth Rand of University of Pennsylvania (now University of Wisconsin) for bringing me up to Philadelphia for WHEATS as well as Emily Margolis of Johns Hopkins for reading over one of my chapters. At times, this dissertation seems to be an alphabet soup of government agencies. Behind those strings of letters are hardworking civil servants who helped bring this dissertation to life. At NASA, Steve Garber, Jane Odom, Colin Fries, and Liz Suckow worked hard to make sure I had all the records necessary to understand the intricate details of the Landsat program. These individuals also made it an enjoyable and stimulating visit to the space agency. Also within NASA at the Goddard Spaceflight Center, I appreciate Jim Irons’ help and time talking about Landsat’s agricultural applications. I also visited the U.S. Geological Survey Headquarters in Virginia and its Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS) in South Dakota where I met and talked with John Faundeen, Thomas Holm, Kristie Kline, Eugene Fosnight, Steve Labahn, and Tom Loveland. Each of these individuals showed me around EROS and truly brought Landsat to life for me showing how Landsat data is gathered and used. I am very appreciative for their time and insight. At USGS HQ back in Virginia, Raymond Byrnes was extremely helpful and kind offering his time and office to help me. His experience working with Landsat from the very beginning and for EOSAT added an invaluable perspective on Landsat documents could not reveal. I also appreciate James Baker’s time and assistance as the former NOAA Administrator. Others from industry I must thank for their time is James Zimmerman and Darrel Williams, both formerly of NASA who shed valuable light on Landsat in its formative years. v While at Georgia Tech, I applied for a couple fellowships I thought would be helpful and would let me live in the Washington, D.C. area. I was already both personally and professionally attracted to the bustling center of power upon the Potomac. I am thankful to the American Historical Association and NASA for awarding me the Fellowship in Aerospace History which allowed me to move to and conduct research in the DC area. I then moved onto the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where I interacted some of the most highly supportive and smart scholars in history of technology. In addition to the valuable help of Roger Launius, Paul Ceruzzi, James David, David DeVorkin, Hunter Hollins, Thomas Lassman, Jennifer Levasseur, Mike Neufeld, Matthew Shindell, and Margaret Weitekamp, whose insight and comprehensive knowledge of aerospace history helped hone this dissertation and its conclusions. I also give huge thanks to the American Historical Association, particularly Dana Schaffer, for awarding me the AHA/NASA Fellowship in Aerospace History which allowed me to meet so many of the people mentioned here. Lastly, my friends and family have been an unwavering source of support, encouragement, and love. My two best friends, Hunter Scales and Jeff Elkin, encouraged me from the very beginning asking some of the toughest questions and always encouraging me to keep going. During several research trips to DC, I am thankful to Jeff for letting me stay with him. My parents, Michael and Melissa, thank you for always pushing me hard to do my very best at everything I set my mind to. This dissertation represents the determination and passion you inspired in me to pursue my goals. My sister Allison, who understands the scientific and technical aspects of remote sensing far better than I as she received a Masters in the subject, also was a huge source of encouragement and love since we share a passion for understanding our planet’s beautiful and fragile environment through remote sensing. Countless times I enjoyed our vi conversations about the challenges and breakthroughs she made in her job as a remote sensing specialist in the Everglades and it helped me think more about how Landsat imagery was both a challenge to work with and how it helped her understand more about the planet. It was also truly a privilege to go out on the front lawn with my grandfather’s binoculars and watch the Space Shuttle lift off over the beaches of Florida with my family. These fond memories resonated as I undertook this project and saw it through.