TERRA > Earth Observing System, TERRA (AM-1)TERRA - Formerly EOS AM-1. Launched: December 12, 1999. Instruments: ASTER, CERES, MISR, MODIS, and MOPITT. Expected end date: December 31, 2009. Equator Crossing Time: 10:30. Direction: Descending. Terra is the flagship of EOS. It provides global data on the state of the atmosphere, land, and oceans, as well as their interactions with solar radiation and with one another. Terra is a multi-national, multi-disciplinary mission involving partnerships with Canada and Japan. Managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, the mission also receives key contributions from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Langley Research Center.