Jim Irons, Former Landsat Project Scientist, Awarded Prestigious Pecora Award
Dr. Jim Irons, an emeritus scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and former Landsat 8 project scientist, has won the William T. Pecora Award for his contributions to Earth science. Irons played a key role in developing the Landsat program, championing rigorous calibration standards and preserving the thermal band on Landsat 8. The award recognizes his decades of work ensuring continuous, high-quality satellite data for monitoring long-term changes to Earth's surface.
Dr. Jim Irons, now an emeritus scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, has received the prestigious William T. Pecora Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the Landsat program. Irons served as deputy project scientist for Landsat 7 and then as project scientist for Landsat 8, working from the mission's conception through launch and operation. A central focus of his work was establishing rigorous calibration and quality assurance standards that made Landsat the gold standard for satellite data. He also championed the retention of the thermal band on Landsat 8, which has proven critical for projects like OpenET that rely on evapotranspiration data. Beyond his scientific contributions, Irons served as director of NASA Goddard's Earth Science Division during the early COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing support for his team. His legacy emphasizes the importance of continuous, well-calibrated data records for understanding multi-decadal changes to Earth's surface related to climate change and human impact.
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- NASACenter
Jim Irons, Former Landsat Project Scientist, Wins Pecora Award
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