Contact:

Cynthia M. O'Carroll
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
(Phone: 301/614-5563)

November 22, 2002 - RELEASE: 02-161

NASA SCIENTIST RECEIVES NORDBERG AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP FOR NASA'S EARTH OBSERVING SYSTEM

Dr. Vincent V. Salomonson, a senior scientist for NASA's Earth Science Directorate, is the 2002 recipient of the William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Sciences. The award was presented recently at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Dr. Salomonson is the ninth recipient since the Goddard honor was first introduced in 1994.

Dr. Nordberg, who was the Director of Space Applications at Goddard, was a pioneer in using remote sensing to investigate the Earth and its environment. The William Nordberg Memorial Award for Earth Science is presented annually to a Goddard employee "who best exhibits qualities of broad scientific perspective, enthusiastic programmatic and technical leadership on the national and international levels, wide recognition by peers, and substantial research accomplishments in understanding Earth science processes".

Dr. Salomonson's career has spanned 34 years of outstanding scientific and managerial achievements at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. In addition to his position as a Senior Scientist for the Earth Sciences Directorate, Dr. Salomonson is also the Science Team Leader for the Earth Observing System's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (EOS/MODIS), a position he has held since the formation of the MODIS Science Team in 1989. As Team Leader, he has overseen all aspects of the MODIS sensor during the 18-year development process.

The sensor and a multitude of land, ocean and atmospheric scientific algorithms are enabling the study of the Earth as an integrated system. MODIS has been successfully launched aboard both the Earth Observing Satellites, Terra and Aqua, and has generated over a petabyte of scientific data in more than three years of on-orbit operations.

A testament of MODIS's success is that a follow-on version will be the key sensor on the next generation National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and on NASA's NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP). These future systems, together with MODIS, will provide the world with global data for studies of the Earth systems (land, ocean and atmosphere) and attendant processes for at least the next quarter of a century.

Salomonson has been with the Goddard Space Flight Center since 1968. In addition to his present position he served for 10 years as the Director of the Earth Sciences Directorate, and for two years as the Deputy Director for Earth Sciences in the Space and Earth Sciences Directorate.

Other positions he has held at the Goddard Space Flight Center are: Chief of the Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics; Project Scientist for Landsat-4 and 5; the Head of the Hydrospheric Sciences Branch; and research meteorologist. Prior to coming to NASA, he spent three years as a weather officer in the United States Air Force.

His career has been marked by an ability to both manage large scientific organizations and continue as a productive scientist as evidenced by his authorship of over 60 refereed scientific journal articles plus over 70 other articles in conference proceedings (many of them invited), NASA technical reports and other publication.

He has received numerous awards throughout his distinguished career, including the Goddard Exceptional Performance Award in 1975; the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 1976 and 1983; the Institute of Electrical and Electric Engineers (IEEE) Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society award for Distinguished Achievement in 1986 and Distinguished Service in 1998; the William T. Pecora award in 1987; the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 1996; and the ranks of Meritorious Executive (1993) and Distinguished Executive (1998) in the Senior Executive Service.

Salomonson was made a Fellow of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) in 1994 and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in 1999. He also is a member of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union. He was designated a Goddard Senior Fellow at the Goddard Space Flight Center in 2002.

Salomonson has served in various capacities in support of the Earth sciences and as part of technical society activities. He served as an Associate Editor of the Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing Journal, an Associate Editor of the Remote Sensing of Environment journal and Associate Editor for the International Remote Sensing of Environment journal. He also has served in a number of positions with the ASPRS including President of the ASPRS in 1991/92. He has served as a member of the Executive Administrative Committee for the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRS-S), and was the General Chairman of the 1990 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS 90) held in College Park, MD.

Born in Berthoud, Colo., Salomonson, received a bachelor of science degree in Agricultural Engineering from Colorado State University, a bachelor of science degree in Meteorology from the University of Utah, a master of science degree in Agricultural Engineering from Cornell University and a doctorate in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State. He was named an Honor Alumnus by the College of Engineering at Colorado State University in 1987.

Salomonson and his wife, Peggy, live in Bowie, Md. They have five children and 12 grandchildren.