What does the Landsat satellite program focus on?

The Landsat satellite program focuses on providing continuous imaging of Earth’s land surface, making it invaluable for various applications in agriculture, forestry, land use planning, and environmental monitoring. The program has been operating since the early 1970s and has provided a consistent dataset that researchers and policymakers can use to analyze changes in land cover, urban expansion, deforestation, and other land surface dynamics over time.

Landsat satellites capture high-resolution imagery that allows for detailed analysis of terrestrial features, making them a cornerstone of remote sensing efforts aimed at understanding and managing natural resources and environmental challenges. The continuous temporal coverage enables users to assess changes and trends, providing a comprehensive view of the Earth’s landscapes and the impacts of human activity on them.

Other options focus on different aspects of the Earth's systems. Observing weather patterns pertains more to meteorological satellites, wildlife migration tracking is relevant for ecological studies but not specific to the Landsat program, and monitoring ocean currents involves different oceanographic satellite missions designed for marine environments. Thus, the primary focus of the Landsat program is indeed the imaging of the terrestrial land surface.