NASA Logo, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
header

Operational Land Imager (OLI) Telescope


Operational Land Imager (OLI) Telescope

The OLI telescope uses a four-mirror compact design. The optics are positioned inside a lightweight, yet highly stable, carbon composite optical bench (i.e., a substrate on which the optics are mounted) that has special features to control undesired stray light (stray light is any light entering the optics from someplace other than the observed Earth surface, or imaging "target").

Because OLI is a push-broom instrument, as opposed to a scanner (or "whisk-broom"), it has a wide field-of-view to cover the entire ground swath width. Wide field-of-view telescopes are generally susceptible to stray light, so the OLI telescope is designed for improved stray light control. The number and shapes of the mirrors meet the required optical design parameters, like focal length, for example, within a size that also meets the volume and mass requirements for the instrument.

Note: The previous Landsat sensors have used scanner or "whisk-broom" technology. This means that a mirror scans from side-to-side across the satellite path directing light into the instrument detectors. The OLI uses push-broom technology meaning that an array of detectors is used to image the entire swath/width of the satellite path simultaneously.


More LDCM images.

USGS Landsat

USGS LDCM website
The Landsat Program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Since 1972, Landsat satellites have collected information about Earth from space. This science, known as remote sensing, has matured with the Landsat Program.

+ Visit the site

Landsat Science

Landsat Science website
For nearly 40 years, the Landsat program has collected spectral information from Earth's surface, creating a historical archive unmatched in quality, detail, coverage, and length.

+ Visit the site

Landsat Education

Landsat Education website
By virtue of its long history, Landsat's education and outreach program has spawned many educational resources. The effort continues with what will be the newest in this series of satellites, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). To enable educators seamless access to all of these resources, Landsat and LDCM education are united into one program.

+ Visit the site

Connect with Landsat

Related Links

NASA logo
Goddard Space Flight Center