<Tr> <Th> Epoch </Th> <Td> 25 June 2016, 02: 58: 27 UTC </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Revolution no . </Th> <Td> 87867 </Td> </Tr> <P> Terra (EOS AM - 1) is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in a Sun - synchronous orbit around the Earth . It is the flagship of the Earth Observing System (EOS). The name "Terra" comes from the Latin word for Earth . A naming contest was held by NASA among U.S. high school students . The winning essay was submitted by Sasha Jones of Brentwood, Missouri . The identifier "AM - 1" refers to its orbit, passing over the equator in the morning . </P> <P> The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 18, 1999, aboard an Atlas IIAS vehicle and began collecting data on February 24, 2000 . It was placed into a near - polar, sun - synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705km, with a 10: 30am descending node . </P>

What is the purpose of the terra satellite