Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

Theses four letters highlight the policy and funding dispute over the Department of Defense (DOD)
provision of the High Resolution Multispectral Stereo Imager (HRMSI) for Landsat 7, which DOD
had originally proposed for the satellite but then backed away from when NASA refused to fund a substantial
upgrade for the ground system to collect the data. U.S. Representative George Brown had
played a major role in drafting and sponsoring the Land Remote-Sensing Policy Act of 1992 and
therefore had a stake in seeing the controversy successfully resolved. Dr. John Gibbons, President
Clinton’s science advisor and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, helped craft
the Clinton administration’s policy toward Landsat 7.
The Honorable John Gibbons
Assistant to the President
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Old Executive Office Building
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Jack:
EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN 369
Document II-41
August 9, 1993
As you know, NASA and the Department of Defense are roughly splitting the cost of
the Landsat program in accordance with the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act (P.L.
102–555), which the Vice President played an important role in shaping. However, only
DOD has requested funding for the High Resolution Multispectral Stereo Imager
(HRMSI), a new sensor that would produce 5-meter resolution imagery; NASA’s budget
does not include its proposed funding share for HRMSI, which would be used to build the
data handling system.
While I recognize the difficult choices that the Administration faced in formulating
NASA’s budget, I was greatly disappointed that this funding for HRMSI was not included.
HRMSI is exactly what many users of remote sensing data have wanted for years. In addition
to global change research, environmental applications that need HRMSI-type data
include biodiversity ecosystem mapping, forest and coastal wetlands inventories, oil spill
tracking, toxic waste sitting and monitoring, and land use planning.
The lack of NASA co-funding for HRMSI could lead to the cancellation of HRMSI if
DOD is not able to obtain additional funding. Without HRMSI, DOD’s interest in Landsat
could diminish, possibly jeopardizing this valuable program that we have worked so hard
to preserve. Even if DOD is able to fund the entire cost of HRMSI, most civil users may be
unable to obtain imagery they need because DOD funding would not cover data acquisition
and processing for civil users.
I hope that you will turn your attention to the need to establish a funding framework
for HRMSI that ensures full civil participation and use of the data. I stand ready to assist
you in any way possible.
Sincerely,
[hand-signed: “George”]
GEORGE E. BROWN, JR.
Chairman