Verner Suomi

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Verner Suomi (1915-1995) was the father of satellite meteorology. He invented the Spin Scan Radiometer, which for many years was the instrument on the GOES weather satellites that generated the time sequences of cloud images seen on television weather shows.

Together with Robert Parent, in 1965 Suomi founded the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. From this came the first satellite to provide weather satellite imagery from a geostationary orbit was the Applications Technology Satellite (ATS-1), launched on 6 December 1966, that included a Spin Scan Radiometer.

Suomi led the development of the Man-computer Interactive Data Access System (McIDAS), starting in 1972, for displaying the images produced by his satellites such as SMS-1 in 1974 (see link below).

Suomi was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1966, awarded the National Medal of Science in 1977, awarded the Franklin Medal in 1984, and received numerous other awards and honors.