{"id":17892,"date":"2024-02-09T13:39:56","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T19:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=17892"},"modified":"2024-02-10T07:13:04","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T13:13:04","slug":"celebrating-valerie-thomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=17892","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Valerie Thomas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today we celebrate Valerie Thomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>She showed that the <strong>magic of fascination<\/strong> can often lead to concrete scientific applications for real-world problem-solving.<\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/blackinventor.com\/valerie-thomas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Inventor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:55% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"784\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vt_0001.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17893 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vt_0001.jpg 784w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vt_0001-230x300.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vt_0001-768x1003.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 784px) 100vw, 784px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Valerie L. Thomas (born February 8, 1943) is an American data scientist and inventor. She invented the illusion transmitter, for which she received a patent in 1980. She was responsible for developing the digital media formats that image processing systems used in the early years of NASA&#8217;s Landsat program. &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Valerie_Thomas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0143.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1916\" height=\"1011\" data-id=\"17902\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0143.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17902\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0143.jpg 1916w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0143-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0143-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0143-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0143-1536x810.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0143-1200x633.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1916px) 100vw, 1916px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0144.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1908\" height=\"1011\" data-id=\"17901\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0144.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17901\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0144.jpg 1908w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0144-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0144-1024x543.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0144-768x407.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0144-1536x814.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0144-1200x636.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1908px) 100vw, 1908px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0146.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"17898\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0146.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17898\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0146.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0146-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0146-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-088-1623276438.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"601\" data-id=\"17899\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-088-1623276438.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-088-1623276438.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-088-1623276438-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-088-1623276438-1024x513.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-088-1623276438-768x385.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-090-1623276505.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"980\" height=\"1226\" data-id=\"17900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-090-1623276505.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-090-1623276505.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-090-1623276505-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-090-1623276505-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/opr060121levdig-090-1623276505-768x961.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/valerie-thomas.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"493\" height=\"493\" data-id=\"17897\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/valerie-thomas.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17897\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/valerie-thomas.jpg 493w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/valerie-thomas-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/valerie-thomas-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vt_0002.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"17903\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vt_0002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17903\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vt_0002.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vt_0002-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vt_0002-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ipiireemmig?si=RURJmsJjyi0Gf0-Z\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Valerie Thomas&#8217;s Patent Related to 3D Imaging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">A real time illusion transmitter for transmitting three dimensional illusions of an object comprising a first parabolic mirror for producing a real image of an illuminated object, image detection means disposed in a position to receive said real image and adapted to generate video signals for transmission by cable or electromagnetic means, a second parabolic mirror located at a remote site and having associated therewith an image projector for producing an image from signals transmitted from said first parabolic mirror; said image projector projecting an image normal to the principle axis of the parabolic mirror to produce an illusion of the image when reflected from the parabolic mirror.<br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"352\" class=\"wp-image-17905\" style=\"width: 550px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/US4229761-drawings-page-2.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/US4229761-drawings-page-2.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/US4229761-drawings-page-2-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/US4229761-drawings-page-2-768x492.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/patents.google.com\/patent\/US4229761A\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Patents<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"965\" height=\"718\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0148.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17908\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0148.jpg 965w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0148-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0148-768x571.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 965px) 100vw, 965px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Valerie Thomas continued working for NASA until 1995 when she retired. In addition to her work with the Illusion Transmitter she designed programs to research Halley\u2019s comet and ozone holes. She received numerous awards for her service, including the GSFC Award of Merit and the NASA Equal Opportunity Medal. In her career, <em><strong>she showed that the magic of fascination can often lead to concrete scientific applications for real-world problem-solving<\/strong><\/em>. &#8211; Black Inventor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard02.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1589\" height=\"771\" data-id=\"17913\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard02.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17913\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard02.jpg 1589w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard02-300x146.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard02-1024x497.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard02-768x373.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard02-1536x745.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard02-1200x582.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1589px) 100vw, 1589px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I find this pretty amazing! An 81 year old retired NASA scientist gives back to the student community!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blackpast.org\/african-american-history\/valerie-thomas-1943\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"874\" height=\"368\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard03.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17918\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard03.jpg 874w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard03-300x126.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Clipboard03-768x323.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 874px) 100vw, 874px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Landsat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. It is a joint NASA \/ USGS program. On 23 July 1972, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite was launched. This was eventually renamed to Landsat 1 in 1975.[1] The most recent, Landsat 9, was launched on 27 September 2021.<br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"254\" class=\"wp-image-17922\" style=\"width: 450px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DbfzWt8W9uJ62aRA37eoBV.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DbfzWt8W9uJ62aRA37eoBV.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DbfzWt8W9uJ62aRA37eoBV-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DbfzWt8W9uJ62aRA37eoBV-768x433.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In 1965, William T. Pecora, the then director of the United States Geological Survey, proposed the idea of a remote sensing satellite program to gather facts about the natural resources of our planet. Pecora stated that the program was &#8220;conceived in 1966 largely as a direct result of the demonstrated utility of the Mercury and Gemini orbital photography to Earth resource studies.&#8221; While weather satellites had been monitoring Earth&#8217;s atmosphere since 1960 and were largely considered useful, there was no appreciation of terrain data from space until the mid-1960s.<br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"253\" class=\"wp-image-17921\" style=\"width: 450px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/maxresdefault.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/maxresdefault-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/maxresdefault-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Landsat_program\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/NASA-Landsat-Image-egmont-park-hires.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" data-id=\"17925\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/NASA-Landsat-Image-egmont-park-hires.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17925\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/NASA-Landsat-Image-egmont-park-hires.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/NASA-Landsat-Image-egmont-park-hires-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/NASA-Landsat-Image-egmont-park-hires-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Landsat-9-Gulf-scaled-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-id=\"17924\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Landsat-9-Gulf-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17924\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Landsat-9-Gulf-scaled-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Landsat-9-Gulf-scaled-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Landsat-9-Gulf-scaled-1-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/nasa-43566-unsplash.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" data-id=\"17926\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/nasa-43566-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17926\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/nasa-43566-unsplash.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/nasa-43566-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/nasa-43566-unsplash-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Solar Panels on Satellites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I see pictures of satellites from the &#8217;60s, I&#8217;m fascinated by the early deployment of solar panels. How much did they cost back then? It&#8217;s hard to get commercial prices prior to 1975, but here&#8217;s some numbers:<br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"161\" class=\"wp-image-17929\" style=\"width: 450px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0157.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0157.png 647w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0157-300x107.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vanguardtv3.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"874\" height=\"607\" data-id=\"17931\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vanguardtv3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17931\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vanguardtv3.jpg 874w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vanguardtv3-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/vanguardtv3-768x533.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 874px) 100vw, 874px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/954541-satellite.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"600\" data-id=\"17933\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/954541-satellite.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17933\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/954541-satellite.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/954541-satellite-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/954541-satellite-768x461.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0158.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"675\" height=\"333\" data-id=\"17932\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0158.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17932\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0158.png 675w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/irl_240209_0158-300x148.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Solar panels have had an incredible growth curve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/solar-energy-consumption-by-region.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"600\" data-id=\"17937\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/solar-energy-consumption-by-region.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17937\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/solar-energy-consumption-by-region.jpg 850w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/solar-energy-consumption-by-region-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/solar-energy-consumption-by-region-768x542.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/773ac2_4d70b69498834875bf1244df718f940amv2.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" data-id=\"17935\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/773ac2_4d70b69498834875bf1244df718f940amv2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17935\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/773ac2_4d70b69498834875bf1244df718f940amv2.png 800w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/773ac2_4d70b69498834875bf1244df718f940amv2-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/773ac2_4d70b69498834875bf1244df718f940amv2-768x480.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Not to scale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/g116-cost-solar-dropped-dramatically-EF.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"625\" data-id=\"17938\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/g116-cost-solar-dropped-dramatically-EF.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17938\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/g116-cost-solar-dropped-dramatically-EF.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/g116-cost-solar-dropped-dramatically-EF-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/g116-cost-solar-dropped-dramatically-EF-768x469.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today we celebrate Valerie Thomas. She showed that the magic of fascination can often lead to concrete scientific applications for real-world problem-solving. &#8211; Black Inventor Valerie L. Thomas (born February 8, 1943) is an American data scientist and inventor. She invented the illusion transmitter, for which she received a patent in 1980. She was responsible [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[29,41,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heros","category-technoblott","category-wynha"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17892"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17945,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17892\/revisions\/17945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}