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Valerie Thomas

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description Valerie Thomas Overview

Valerie Thomas is an American scientist and inventor who had a prominent career at NASA. She is best known for patenting the illusion transmitter in 1980, an optical system that projects three-dimensional image illusions using concave mirrors. During her time at NASA, she also managed data systems for the Landsat program, which provided some of the earliest satellite imagery of Earth. Her technical work in digital media and optics provided foundational methods for analyzing spatial data and creating 3D visual displays.

help Valerie Thomas FAQ

How does Valerie Thomas's illusion transmitter create a three dimensional image?

The system uses a concave or parabolic mirror at the transmitting end to form a real image, then sends video signals to a projector and a second mirror. The reflected image appears to float in space, creating an optical illusion rather than a conventional flat picture. [U.S. Patent 4,229,761](https://patents.google.com/patent/US4229761A/en)

When was Valerie Thomas's illusion transmitter patented?

U.S. Patent 4,229,761 was granted to Valerie L. Thomas on October 21, 1980. The patent application had been filed on December 28, 1978, after earlier experiments with three dimensional image transmission. [Google Patents](https://patents.google.com/patent/US4229761A/en)

Was Valerie Thomas's illusion transmitter a hologram?

No, it was an optical mirror and projection system, not a laser hologram. The patent describes a camera or image detector, transmitted video signals, a projector, and concave mirrors at the two ends. [U.S. Patent 4,229,761](https://patents.justia.com/patent/4229761)

What was Valerie Thomas's role in the NASA Landsat program?

Thomas worked on early Landsat digital image processing and helped develop formats for the computer tapes used to distribute satellite imagery. She began working on the Landsat program in 1970 at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. [NASA Science](https://science.nasa.gov/missions/landsat/a-face-behind-landsat-images-meet-dr-valerie-l-thomas/)