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Meet Valerie Thomas, African American NASA Scientist, Inventor of 3D Movie Technology

Meet NASA Scientist Valerie Thomas, Inventor of 3D Movie Technology

Are you fascinated by the technology that makes 3D movies like Avatar and Dune so realistic? Meet Valerie Thomas – NASA scientist, physicist, inventor, and pioneer in 3D projection technology. Thomas revolutionized the way we create digital entertainment with her invention of an optical device called the illusion transmitter. Today, we’re celebrating the contributions of Thomas as a NASA scientist and pioneering inventor, and as an inspiring figure whose creativity has helped shape modern cinema. With her illusion transmitter innovation, Thomas is considered to be one of the most prominent Black inventors of the last century.

Early Life and Career

Valerie Thomas was born in Baltimore, Maryland on February 8, 1943[1]. As a child, she was captivated by technology and borrowed a book titled, “The Boy’s First Book On Electronics.” Her father liked to tinker with electronics, and she was hoping he’d work on some projects with her, but that didn’t happen.[4] At that time, girls were not encouraged to study science and math, and her all-girls high school did not offer any advanced curriculum in what is now known as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).

Thomas followed her passion and majored in physics at Morgan State University. She was one of only two women in the program, and graduated with top honors in 1964.[1]

After graduation, NASA hired her as a data scientist. In the 1970s, Thomas worked on the Landsat program, a satellite developed to send multi-spectral images of the Earth, allowing scientists to visualize the Earth from space. [5]

The Illusion Transmitter

In 1976, Thomas attended an exhibition where she saw an illusion of a lightbulb, involving concave mirrors. The lightbulb was removed from the lamp socket but still appeared to be lit. This exhibition was the spark for an optical device called the Illusion Transmitter. It uses a pair of concave mirrors to transmit a 3D optical illusion of an object that looks real on the receiving end. [2,4]

After a few years of research and development, Thomas received a patent for the illusion transmitter in October of 1980. Today, the illusion transmitter is used not only for TV screens and 3D movies but it is also used in surgical procedures. NASA also continues to use illusion transmitter technology.

Later Career

Thomas retired from NASA in 1995, after a successful career holding positions like Project Manager of the Space Physics Analysis Network and Associate Chief of the Space Science Data Operations Office[3]. During her career at NASA, she researched satellite technology, the ozone layer, and Halley’s Comet. She also earned several accolades during her career at NASA, including the GSFC (Goddard Space Flight Center) Award of Merit, and the NASA Equal Opportunity Medal.[4]



Sources

  1. Valerie Thomas, Wikipedia
  2. Illusion transmitter, Wikipedia
  3. Valerie L. Thomas, The Biography.com website, Biography.com Editors, April 12, 2021
  4. Valerie Thomas, Illusion Transmitter, lemelson.mit.edu
  5. A Face Behind Landsat Images: Meet Dr. Valerie L. Thomas, Laura E.P. Rocchio, February 29, 2019, NASA Lansat Science
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