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 / United States Geological Survey, USGS program. On 23 July 1972, the Landsat 1, Earth Resources Technology Satellite was l ...

. 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 The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of Hughes Tool Company. The company was known for producing, among other prod ...

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 {{US-spacecraft-stub