code935.gsfc.nasa.gov/Tutorial/TofC/Coverpage.html
This is a comprehensive survey of remote sensing from its inception in the 1840s through the famed pigeon fleet at the end of the last century to present day. "The primary purpose of this Web Site Tutorial is to inform both the professionals and the general public about the principles and the achievements of remote sensing, with emphasis on applications already demonstrated, and to point to the anticipated functions and benefits of the MTPE initiatives. As a secondary but nevertheless important goal, the tutorial is intended to be a learning resource for college students as well as individuals who require some indoctrination in the basics of space-centered remote sensing in support of various organizations......" Authors are Nicholas M. Short, retired from NASA and teaching remote sensing at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, and Jon W. Robinson, Hughes STX Corporation, who has been involved with Landsat data since the launch of Landsat-1 in 1972.