• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- NASA on Thursday handed over operational control of the Landsat 8 satellite to the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, allowing the federal repository to collect, archive and make available for download more than 400 data-filled images of the Earth each day.
• The space agency launched Landsat 8 into space in February, and teams have since been busy running the orbiter through a barrage of tests before placing it into orbit 438 miles above the planet's surface.
• Mike Freilich, director of NASA's earth science division, said the satellite and the ground process systems and operations from USGS have operated "near flawlessly" since launch.
• "Unprecedented world class measurements have been returned and are now being made available to the science community and to decision makers across the nation and across the world," Freilich said Thursday.
• The new Landsat has several advantages over its still-functioning predecessor Landsat 7, which captures just 250 images a day.
• Landsat 8 boasts two new spectral bands -- one to see deeper into oceans, lakes and rivers, and another to detect cirrus clouds and correct for atmospheric effects. And its infrared band is split into two, allowing for more accurate surface temperature readings.
• "It's the most advanced and the most capable of the Landsat series of satellites," said Frank Kelly, director of the EROS Center north of Sioux Falls.
• Suzette Kimball, acting director of USGS, called February's launch a "truly inspirational and aspirational moment" because the agency is entering its fifth decade of continuous earth observations.
• Since 1972, Landsat satellites have been snapping pictures across the globe as part of a continuing mission to document the planet. Satellites in the fleet have helped document forest fires, tsunamis and everyday changes in the Earth's geography.
• "This will help us make firm and well-informed decisions about how we manage our land resources, how we address water resource issues, how we address our ag

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