Virginia Norwood Recognized by National Inventors Hall of Fame

Virginia Norwood Recognized by National Inventors Hall of Fame

What do lightweight surfboards, coronary stents, and Landsat 1’s multispectral scanner have in common? Their inventors are all being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame this year.

On January 15, 2025, the National Inventors Hall of Fame announced that Virginia Norwood (the “Mother of Landsat”) is among its 2025 inductees. Norwood is being posthumously recognized for her role in championing and designing the multispectral scanner system (MSS) instrument that flew on Landsat 1 and heavily influenced space-based Earth observation.

In collaboration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the National Inventors Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose inventions have transformed the world. The induction ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C. on May 8, 2025.

A black and white photo of Virginia Norwood on a telephone in front of a radar system writing in a notebook.
Virginia Norwood at the Storm Detector Radar Set at the Army Signal Corps Laboratories in New Jersey. Photo credit: displayed at the Institute for Radio Engineers Convention, Spring 1950; used with permission of Virginia Norwood.
Post Last Updated on January 22, 2025
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