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Dead Sea Scrolls

The previously invisible lettering of the Dead Sea Scrolls was made distinguishable by use of advance multispectral imaging techniques originally developed at JPL for Earth remote sensing and planetary probes. Use of the Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) enabled a look at the fragment in longer wavelengths beyond the sensitivity of infrared film. The computerized system provides better and earlier detection of change than previous methods of monitoring documents.

In a mid-1980s project for the National Archives, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a contractor used CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices) - originally developed for the Hubble Space Telescope and the Galileo planetary probe - as the basis of a system that regularly scans historical documents to see if there have been any deteriorating changes.

The previously invisible lettering of the Dead Sea Scrolls was made distinguishable by use of advance multispectral imaging techniques originally developed at JPL for Earth remote sensing and planetary probes. Use of the CCD enabled a look at the fragment in longer wavelengths beyond the sensitivity of infrared film. Imaging in these wavelengths increased the contrast between ink and parchment.