Farewell to Virginia T. Norwood at 96, NASA Applauded her as ‘The Mother of Landsat’

US Geological Survey announced Virginia Norwood’s demise after her daughter discovered her dead in her bed on the morning of March 27, 2023. Virginia Tower Norwood was widely known for her invention of the Multispectral Scanner which was used in the Landsat 1 Satellite Program. 

This Multispectral Scanner has been successful in locating and examining the Earth from Space for over 50 years. This 96-year-old lady passed away in her home located in Topanga, California. Moreover, she paved the way for Aerospace as scientists were able to record images of the planet after she developed the model. 

Engineer Extraordinaire...

Virginia Norwood, the #MotherOfLandsat, recently received the @USGS John Wesley Powell award for her contributions to the long-running #Landsat program.https://t.co/tA1HkTWGYx pic.twitter.com/ef4ErWntw3

— NASA Landsat Program (@NASA_Landsat) March 23, 2022

Mother of Technology & Science

Virginia T. Norwood who designed an advanced-level technology passed away last month however her work is still admired by all. She is often called ‘The Mother of Satellite Imaging Systems’. This is because Landsat Satellites were able to capture powerful images and also gain in-depth information. 

During the space exploration era in the mid-1950s and 60s, Virginia used to work at Hughes Aircraft Company where she designed the required tools. This accelerated the scientific space missions and led to high-resolution qualitative scanning of Earth. She would have the capability to solve major problems and always stood firm and dedicated in her assignments and inventions. 

The Director of the US Geological Survey revealed that the spectacular photographs were to assist in controlling land resources. She had been a part of the advanced design team in the Space and Communication department at Hughes Firm.

Landsat Program

An amalgamation of NASA and USGS, Landsat Program aims at receiving Earth imagery through satellites from Space. This project depended upon the avant-garde innovation by Virginia Norwood. As per the reports, the instruments have acquired millions of images so far. 

This significant program was launched in 1972 and multiple spectra of light and energy were documented that could be changed for the planetary mission. An American Aerospace Engineer, Physicist and Inventor led the organisation to one of the biggest discoveries of her time. Landsat satellites having a speed of around 438 miles above the surface usually orbit the Earth every 99 minutes.

Imagery Systems

Through these Landsat imagery techniques, a complete picture of the planet was taken every 16 days since the year of its launch in 1972. These images were helpful as they provided real and strong visual evidence in areas such as climate change, deforestation and other movements that impact the planet’s workings.

Virginia Norwood has been a Champion of Science who helped in a wide range of projects. Her designed model was used for local agricultural observations. The Geological Survey along with NASA proposed to deploy a giant three-camera system created by RCA. This was based on television tube technology and has been widely used to depict the moon. 

Virginia Accolades and Projects

Recently, Virginia Norwood was honoured with the USGS John Wesley Powell Award for her exemplary presentations in the long-running project Landsat. She worked on weather radar and later showed progressive achievement in designing microwave antenna structures. 

For almost 36 years, she worked on different tasks which include apart from antenna design, optics, communication links and Landsat scanners. In February 2023, she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, an NGO located in Washington DC, US. 

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