Appointed project manager for processing radar altimetry data from Seasat, the first satellite designed for remote sensing of Earth's oceans.
On June 28, 1978, Gladys West was named project manager for the processing of radar altimetry data from Seasat, the first Earth-orbiting satellite designed specifically for remote sensing of the world's oceans.
This appointment placed West in charge of analyzing vast quantities of satellite-derived oceanographic data, a role that required deep expertise in both mathematics and emerging computer science. Her work on Seasat's altimetry data was foundational to understanding how satellites could be used to precisely measure the shape of the Earth's surface, including sea-surface height variations caused by gravity, currents, and tides.
This leadership role was pivotal in advancing the field of satellite geodesy, directly informing the development of the highly accurate geoid models that would later become essential to the Global Positioning System (GPS). As project manager, West demonstrated not only technical mastery but also leadership capability at a time when women, and especially Black women, were rarely placed in charge of major scientific projects within federal research institutions. Her work here laid essential groundwork for the algorithms that determine satellite orbits used in GPS today.