NASA's Terra satellite (originally known as Earth Observing System EOS AM-1) was the first spacecraft in the EOS program. Terra carried multispectral imagers, a radiation budget instrument, a detector to measure CO and methane pollution, and an instrument to study cloud top and vegetation properties.

Typical orbit: 669 km circular orbit, 98.1 deg inclination. Mass: 4,854 kg (10,701 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Atlas IIAS.

• 1999 December 18 - Terra - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas IIAS. Mass: 4,854 kg (10,701 lb). Perigee: 702 km (436 mi). Apogee: 703 km (436 mi). Inclination: 98.20 deg. Period: 98.80 min.

  First launch in NASA's Earth Observing System program. Terra carried multispectral imagers, a radiation budget instrument, a detector to measure CO and methane pollution, and an instrument to study cloud top and vegetation properties.

• Space-Launcher.com, Orbital Report News Agency. Accessed at: http://www.orbireport.com/Log.html.

• NASA/GSFC Orbital Information Group Website, . Accessed at: http://oig1.gsfc.nasa.gov/.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Report (Internet Newsletter), Harvard University, Weekly, 1989 to Present. Essential internet newsletter recording worldwide weekly space events. Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• NASA Report, Terra Brochure, . Accessed at: http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/ftp_docs/Terra_brochure.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, .

• NASA Report, TERRA THE EARTH OBSERVING SYSTEM (EOS) AM-1 Fact Sheet, . Accessed at: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/gsfc/service/gallery/fact_sheets/earthsci/terra/terra_mission_fact_sheet.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Terra Press Kit, . Accessed at: http://terra.nasa.gov/Publications/terra_press_kit.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, EOS AM-1 Brochure, . Accessed at: http://terra.nasa.gov/Publications/AM-1_brochure.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Science Writer's Guide to Terra, . Accessed at: http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/ftp_docs/Terra_Writers_Guide.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!