Earth Science

Landsat 5

2,572 tracked publications and 73,755 citations from 1985–2026. Launched 1984. Life-cycle cost: $1.4B in 2025 dollars. Active Mission Window April 1, 1984 to July 1, 2015: 818 publications, 29 top-10% credit.

Orbiter · h-index 115 · 134 papers with 100+ citations · prime mission ended 1987

Lifetime

Scope Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the prime mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Every tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. Methods

Key measures

Active Mission Window · papers April 1, 1984 to July 1, 2015
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed research papers we found for the mission. The list may not be complete. Methods818
CitationsCitations received by the tracked publications in the selected scope. The two windowed scopes count each paper’s citations only within its citation window. Methods4,520
Mean citations per publicationMean citations: total citations divided by tracked publications in the selected scope. One blockbuster paper can lift it. Methods5.5
Median citations per publicationMedian citations: the middle paper’s citation count in the selected scope; half the papers have more, half fewer. A single blockbuster sways it less than the mean. Methods3
Uncited publicationsUncited publications: papers with no citations in the selected scope. Methods181 (22%)
Top-10% creditTop 10%: among the 10% most-cited papers from this division’s missions, ranked against papers published around the same time. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods29 · 0.75% of division
Top-1% creditTop 1%: among the 1% most-cited papers from this division’s missions within the selected window. Not adjusted for publication year. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods2 · 0.52% of division
Lifetime indices · every tracked publication to date, in any scope
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods115
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods198
m-index, as of October 4, 2026m-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes, so it belongs to the date shown; it also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods2.7
toritori (total research impact, from ADS): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Methods620
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Methods592

Tracked publications

  1. An assessment of the effectiveness of a random forest classifier for land-cover classification

    Rodriguez-Galiano, V. F., 2012, JPRS

    1,792 citations

  2. Land surface temperature retrieval from LANDSAT TM 5

    Sobrino, José A., 2004, RSEnv

    1,516 citations

  3. Automated Water Extraction Index: A new technique for surface water mapping using Landsat imagery

    Feyisa, Gudina L., 2014, RSEnv

    1,441 citations

  4. Preliminary analysis of the performance of the Landsat 8/OLI land surface reflectance product

    Vermote, Eric, 2016, RSEnv

    1,255 citations

  5. Classification and Change Detection Using Landsat TM Data. When and How to Correct Atmospheric Effects?

    Song, Conghe, 2001, RSEnv

    1,098 citations

  6. Widespread global increase in intense lake phytoplankton blooms since the 1980s

    Ho, Jeff C., 2019, Natur

    1,048 citations

  7. Remote sensing of aerosol properties over oceans using the MODIS/EOS spectral radiances

    Tanré, D., 1997, JGR

    677 citations

  8. Revised Landsat-5 TM Radiometric Calibration Procedures and Postcalibration Dynamic Ranges

    Chander, Gyanesh, 2003, ITGRS

    610 citations

  9. The global Landsat archive: Status, consolidation, and direction

    Wulder, Michael A., 2016, RSEnv

    577 citations

  10. The Global Mangrove Watch—A New 2010 Global Baseline of Mangrove Extent

    Bunting, Pete, 2018, RemS

    489 citations

  11. Google Earth Engine Open-Source Code for Land Surface Temperature Estimation from the Landsat Series

    Ermida, Sofia L., 2020, RemS

    457 citations

  12. Revision of the Single-Channel Algorithm for Land Surface Temperature Retrieval from Landsat Thermal-Infrared Data

    Jiménez-Muñoz, Juan C., 2009, ITGRS

    450 citations

  13. Adaptation of the dark spectrum fitting atmospheric correction for aquatic applications of the Landsat and Sentinel-2 archives

    Vanhellemont, Quinten, 2019, RSEnv

    450 citations

  14. Water Feature Extraction and Change Detection Using Multitemporal Landsat Imagery

    Rokni, Komeil, 2014, RemS

    439 citations

  15. Machine learning regression algorithms for biophysical parameter retrieval: Opportunities for Sentinel-2 and -3

    Verrelst, Jochem, 2012, RSEnv

    418 citations

  16. Landsat continuity: Issues and opportunities for land cover monitoring

    Wulder, Michael A., 2008, RSEnv

    407 citations

  17. Relationships between Leaf Area Index and Landsat TM Spectral Vegetation Indices across Three Temperate Zone Sites

    Turner, David P., 1999, RSEnv

    401 citations

  18. Radiometric rectification: Toward a common radiometric response among multidate, multisensor images

    Hall, F. G., 1991, RSEnv

    391 citations

  19. A visible band index for remote sensing leaf chlorophyll content at the canopy scale

    Hunt, E. Raymond, 2013, IJAEO

    349 citations

  20. Spatial-temporal dynamics of land surface temperature in relation to fractional vegetation cover and land use/cover in the Tabriz urban area, Iran

    Amiri, Reza, 2009, RSEnv

    344 citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Astrophysics Data System (ADS) for peer-reviewed articles naming Landsat 5 in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces. SciX is ADS’s current interface.

((=abs:"Landsat-5" OR =abs:"Landsat 4-5" OR =abs:"Landsats 5" OR =abs:"Landsats 4 5" OR =abs:"Landsat TM5" OR =abs:"Landsat TM 5" OR =abs:"Thematic Mapper 5" OR =abs:"Thematic Mapper TM 5" OR =abs:"Landsat satellites 5" OR =abs:"Landsat satellite 5" OR =abs:"Landsat missions 5" OR =abs:"Landsat series 5" OR =abs:"Landsat 2 5" OR =abs:"Landsat 7 5" OR =abs:"Landsat 8 5" OR =abs:"Landsat 1 5" OR =abs:"Landsat 4 7" OR =abs:"Landsat 4 8" OR =abs:"Landsats 4 8" OR =abs:"Landsat 4 9")) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[1984-04 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "AIASJ" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NewSc" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Removed after review (8)

  1. Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus Radiometric Calibration Pre-launch calibration plan for Landsat 7's ETM+; Landsat 5 appears as design heritage. Decision 🤖
  2. Mapping and estimating forest area and aboveground biomass in miombo woodlands in Tanzania using data from airborne laser scanning, TanDEM-X, RapidEye, and global forest maps: A comparison of estimated precision A numbered list "(4) Landsat and (5)" matches; does not name Landsat 5. Decision 🤖
  3. Monthly flooded area classification using low resolution SAR imagery in the Sudd wetland from 2007 to 2011 A numbered list "Landsat, and (5)" matches; does not name Landsat 5. Decision 🤖
  4. Multiple trajectories of land-cover change: influence of disturbance severity over four decades after the eruption of Mount St. Helens The text "Landsat) at 5-year intervals" matches; does not name Landsat 5. Decision 🤖
  5. A video system capable of simulating Landsat TM 5, 4, 3 imagery "TM 5, 4, 3" refers to Thematic Mapper bands; does not name Landsat 5. Decision 🤖
  6. Spectral reflectance measurements in the genus Sphagnum "Thematic Mapper 5/4" refers to a band ratio; does not name Landsat 5. Decision 🤖
  7. Impacts of urbanization on soil organic carbon stocks in the northeast coastal agricultural areas of China "Landsat TM5" refers to Thematic Mapper band 5; does not name Landsat 5. Decision 🤖
  8. Gap-filling of land surface temperature in arid regions by combining Landsat 8 and 9 imageries The text "Landsat 8 and 5.4 °C" matches; does not name Landsat 5. Decision 🤖