In news– Virginia Norwood, an aerospace pionee has died at her home in Topanga, California.
A brief note on her-
- She was an American aerospace engineer, inventor, and physicist.
- She was best known for her contribution to the Landsat program, having designed the Multispectral Scanner which was first used on Landsat 1.
- She has been called “The Mother of Landsat” for this work.
- The scanner has been used to map and study the earth from space for more than 50 years.
- An improved seven band version, known as the Thematic Mapper was later included on Landsat 4.
- She designed the microwave transmitter that Surveyor 1 used to transmit data and images back to earth.
- In 1979, Norwood received the William T. Pecora Award. The award recognizes achievements in the scientific and technical remote sensing community, as well as contributions leading to successful practical applications of remote sensing.
- The award is sponsored jointly by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- In 2021, Norwood was given an Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, the highest honour that society bestows on any individual.
Note:
- Landsat 1 (LS-1), formerly named ERTS-A and ERTS-1, was the first satellite of the United States’ Landsat program.
- It was a modified version of the Nimbus 4 meteorological satellite and was launched on July 23, 1972, by a Delta 900 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
- It was the first satellite to carry a Multispectral Scanner.
Source: The Indian Express
