The Multispectral Scanner (MSS) is one of the Earth's observing sensors introduced in the Landsat program. A Multispectral Scanner was placed aboard each of the first five Landsat satellites.
Multispectral Scanner
Earth observing sensor
MSS diagram
The Multispectral Scanner (MSS) is one of the Earth's observing sensors introduced in the Landsat program. A Multispectral Scanner was placed aboard each of the first five Landsat satellites.[1]
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."[2]
MSS technical specifications
Sensor type
Spatial Resolution
Spectral Range
Number of Bands
Temporal Resolution
Image Size
Swath
opto-mechanical
68 m X 83 m (or 57 m)
0.5 - 1.1μm
4, 5 (Landsat 3 only)
18 days (L1-L3), 16 days (L4 & L5)
185km X 185km
185km
Notes
↑"The Landsat Program - Technical Details". Archived from the original on 2007-01-26. Retrieved 2007-05-05.: "The Multispectral Scanner System", NASA Official: Darrel Williams
Website Curator: Laura Rocchio Site last updated: December 2, 2008