Franklin Laureate Database
Laureate Details
Verner E. Suomi
Professor Emeritus
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Year: 1984
Subject: Engineering
Award:Franklin
Citation: For the development of satellite meteorology and the spin-scan camera.
Biographical Information
Verner Suomi is the father of weather satellite systems, the devices that make possible the now-standard images from weather forecasts. He invented the "spin-scan camera," an instrument that made it possible to continuously observe the same area of the Earth. These images are taken from a satellite that orbits the earth around the equator at the same speed at which the Earth spins. The satellite remains over the same location and can continually monitor the weather of that portion of the globe.
In addition to this invention, Dr. Suomi made significant contributions to the fields of meteorology, space science, and engineering. He spent the bulk of his career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and founded their Space Science and Engineering Center.
Dr. Suomi died in 1995 at the age of 79.