The Multispectral Scanner (MSS) is one of the
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
's observing
sensors
A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon.
In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...
introduced in the
Landsat program
The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. It is a joint NASA / USGS program. On 23 July 1972, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite was launched. This was eventually renamed to Lan ...
. A Multispectral Scanner was placed aboard each of the first five
Landsat satellites.
[ : "The Multispectral Scanner System", NASA Official: Darrel Williams
Website Curator: Laura Rocchio Site last updated: December 2, 2008]
The scanner was designed at
Hughes Aerospace by
Virginia Norwood. Her design called for a six band scanner, but the first one launched had only four bands. For her work on the design Norwood is called "The Mother of Landsat."
MSS Technical Specifications
Notes
External links
NASA Multispectral Scanner page
Satellite imaging sensors
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