SPACECRAFT DESCRIPTION:
The spacecraft was an 18-sided polygon, 42 inches in diameter, 19
inches high and weighed 270 pounds. The craft was made of aluminum
alloy and stainless steel then covered by 9000 solar cells. The
solar cells served to charge the 63 nickel-cadmium batteries.
This craft contained two wide angle camera systems, a magnetic tape
recorder, infrared experiments including a five-channel medium
resolution scanning radiometer and low resolution metallic
resistance thermometers. The electron temperature and density
probes were the same as the ones placed on Explorer XVII. The
spacecraft operating system still included the infrared horizon
scanner, the north direction indicator, despin weights and spinup
rockets, and the magnetic attitude control system. TIROS VII
furnished over 30,000 cloud photographs and lasted the longest of
the TIROS series thus far, remaining operational for 1809 days
before being deactivated by NASA on June 3, 1968.