Weather Satellites: TIROS I

TIROS I - Television Infrared Observation Satellite I

Launch date: April 1, 1960

Launch site: Cape Canaveral, Florida

Launch vehicle: Standard Thor-Able

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE:

To test the experimental television techniques leading to a world-wide meteorological satellite information system. To test sun angle and horizon sensor systems for spacecraft orientation.

SPACECRAFT DESCRIPTION:

The spacecraft was 42 inches in diameter, 19 inches high and weighed 270 pounds. The craft was made of aluminum alloy and stainless steel then covered by 9200 solar cells. The solar cells served to charge the nickel-cadmium (nicad) batteries. Three pairs of solid-propellant spin rockets were mounted on the base plate.

Two television cameras were housed in the craft, one low resolution and one high resolution. A magnetic tape recorder for each camera was supplied for storing photographs while the satellite was out of range of the ground station network.

The antennas consisted of four rods from the base plate to serve as transmitters and one vertical rod from the center of the top plate to serve as a receiver.

The craft was spin-stabilized and space oriented (not Earth-oriented). Therefore, the cameras were only operated while they were pointing at the Earth when that portion of the Earth was in sunlight.

The video systems relayed thousands of pictures containing cloud-cover views of the Earth. Early photographs provided information concerning the structure of large-scale cloud regimes.

TIROS I was operational for only 78 days, but proved that satellites could be a useful tool for surveying global weather conditions from space.

PARTICIPANTS:

NASA, US ARMY Signal Research and Development Lab, RCA, US Weather Bureau, US Naval Photographic Interpretation Center.