Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

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The Honorable John H. Gibbons
Assistant to the President
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Old Executive Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20500
[handwritten note: “Jack”]
Dear Dr. Gibbons:
OBSERVING THE EARTH FROM SPACE
Document II-44
December 14, 1993
Thank you for your letter concerning the Landsat program. I appreciate your keeping
me informed about the review of Landsat issues, but the letter does not directly
respond to the concerns about Landsat 7 outlined in my letter to you of [handwritten
underlining] August 9. [handwritten note in margin: “(attached)”] Specifically, the letter
made no mention of what I believe is the most critical issue—resolving the differences
between NASA and DOD concerning funding for the High Resolution Multispectral
Stereo Imager (HRMSI) on Landsat 7.
I would like to reiterate my strong support for the Landsat 7 program and my belief that
HRMSI represents a valuable new capability for both national security and civilian users.
I would like to request again that you personally intervene to provide a solution that
ensures continuation of the Landsat 7 program. Any solution should fulfill the requirements
of the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act (Public Law 102–555), including an integrated
management by NASA and the Department of Defense, procurement of Landsat 7
as quickly as practicable that is at least as capable as Landsat 6 would have been, and, where
possible, incorporation of any improvement needed to meet U.S. Government needs.
As always, I stand ready to assist you in any way possible.
Document II-45
Sincerely,
[hand-signed: “George”]
GEORGE E. BROWN, JR.
Chairman
Document title: The White House, Presidential Decision Directive/NSTC-3, “Landsat
Remote Sensing Strategy,” May 5, 1994.
Source: NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Office, NASA
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
After the Department of Defense decided to stop directly participating in the Landsat program, policy
makers within the Clinton administration faced the task of determining how to proceed. After considerable
discussion within the Clinton administration’s National Science and Technology Council, with
input from the National Security Council, President Clinton signed this directive, which gave NASA
responsibility for procuring Landsat 7, NOAA the responsibility for managing operations, and the
Department of the Interior the responsibility for distributing the data through the U.S. Geological
Survey’s EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.