Sarnoff Corporation to Host Third IEEE Milestone Plaque for TIROS 1 Satellite
PRINCETON, N.J. – September 22, 2010 – Sarnoff Corporation today announced it will host its third coveted IEEE Milestone plaque for the invention of the Television Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS 1). Sarnoff previously received IEEE Milestone plaques for the invention of the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and the color television.
TIROS 1 was the world’s first space-based meteorology satellite. The satellite was developed in a collaborative project initiated, designed, and constructed by RCA staff at the David Sarnoff Research Center (now Sarnoff Corporation), the Astro-Electronics Division and the Defense Electronics Products under the supervision of the U.S. Army Signal Research and Development Laboratory in New Jersey.
TIROS’s imagery of weather systems successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using television cameras to observe the earth from space and directly led to the development of orbital, real-time, video surveillance for meteorological, geographic, military and environmental imaging. Video satellites have used solid-state image sensors also pioneered by the David Sarnoff Research Center and RCA since the 1970s.
“TIROS 1 was the result of visionary engineers who believed in the power of video technology to change the world,” said Mark Clifton, Sarnoff’s Acting President and Chief Executive Officer. “Today we are honored to host this IEEE Milestone from the world’s largest and most respected engineering organization and recognize the spirit of innovation that makes all groundbreaking technology possible.”
Through the years, Sarnoff has supported camera programs on the Space Station and the Space Shuttle and acted as a trusted supplier of star tracker imagers for satellites. Today, Sarnoff is the supplier of a unique low light solid state sensor for next-generation weather satellites.
The IEEE Milestone plaque ceremony will take place on September 27, 2010 at Sarnoff Corporation in Princeton, N.J. from 6:00-8:00 pm.
