Valerie Thomas
February 8, 1943
African-American woman Pioneer, scientist, Educator, and inventor.
Her monumental technological invention the illusion
transmitter (3-Dimensional imagery) and that enhance and made 3-D movies possible
2021 NBCA Hall of fame Inductee – Science
she has received numerous NASA awards, including the GSFC Award of Merit, the highest award given by GSFC, and the NASA Equal Opportunity Medal.
Dr. Valerie L. Thomas is a graduate of Morgan State College as a physics major and was hired by the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD as a Mathematician/Data Analyst.
Valarie was born in May 1943 in Maryland and attended a high school for girls due to her father wanted her to be more geared toward
things for a lady to learn and know. Through her passion and drive she continued with her fascination to gain all the knowledge she can
from studying Aeronautics. She was an excellent student. Valarie completed and graduated the all-girls school. After graduating from
high school. She enrolled at Morgan State University and entered her studies in Aeronautics. She was one of only two women at
Morgan to major in physics. Thomas excelled in her studies. She graduated from Morgan and accepted a position as a data analyst at
NASA. Valarie worked for NASA from 1964 to 1995 in a variety of capacities. She developed real-time computer data systems,
conducted large-scale experiments, and managed various operations, projects, and facilities. While managing a project for
NASA’s image processing systems, Thomas’ team spearheaded the development of “LANDSAT,” the first satellite to send images from space.
In 1976, Thomas learned how concave mirrors can be set up to create the illusion of a 3-dimensional object. She believed this would
be revolutionary if technology could be harnessed. The illusion, which involved another light bulb and concave mirrors, inspired her
. Curious about how light and concave mirrors could be used in her work at NASA, she began her research in 1977. This involved
creating an experiment in which she observed how the position of a concave mirror would affect the real object that it reflected. Using
this technology, she would invent the illusion transmitter.
In 1980, Valarie received a patent for her invention of the illusion transmitter. In operation, concave mirrors are set up on both ends of The transmission. The net effect of this is an optical illusion of a 3- dimensional image that looks real on the receiving end. This brilliant innovation placed her among the most prominent black inventors of the 20th century. While at NASA, she worked as a project manager for the Space Physics Analysis Network and was associate chief for NASA’s Space Science Data Operations Office. She also participated in developing a computer program that was designed to support research on projects related to Halley’s Comet, ozone research, and the Voyager spacecraft.
She has served as a mentor for countless students working at GSFC in addition to serving as a science fair judge, working with organizations such as the National Technical Association (NTA), Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), Science, Mathematics, Aerospace, Research, and Technology (S.M.A.R.T.), and SHADES OF BLUE. These latter organizations encourage minority and female students to pursue science and technology careers