In December of 1999 a satellite called Terra rocketed to space and opened up a new era in our ability to see, measure and understand Earth.
While Terra was designed for a five-year mission life – it's still up there, and in 2002 and 2004, the Aqua and Aura satellites followed.
These three satellites are the core of NASA's Earth Observing System -- a fleet of 18 Earth-observing satellites that revolutionized our ability to observe our home planet.
The past 15 years have produced a more comprehensive look at Earth from space than any other period in history. To celebrate 15 successful years of the Earth Observing System, we've collected 15 impressive, awe-inducing or simply just plain interesting images gathered by NASA's three flagship Earth orbiters since the Terra launch.
Enjoy. And here's to the next 15.