TIROS-1

TIROS-1 (or TIROS-A) was the first successful low-Earth orbital weather satellite, and the first of a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites.

TIROS-1
The TIROS-1 prototype on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Mission typeWeather satellite
OperatorNASA[1]
Harvard designation1960 β 2
COSPAR ID1960-002B
SATCAT no.29
Mission duration75 days (90 days planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeTIROS
ManufacturerRCA Astro
Launch mass122.5 kilograms (270 lb)[2]
Start of mission
Launch date1 April 1960, 11:40:09 (1960-04-01UTC11:40:09Z) GMT[3]
RocketThor DM 18-Able II
Launch siteCape Canaveral, LC-17A
End of mission
Last contact15 June 1960 (1960-06-16)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLEO
Semi-major axis7,026.96 kilometres (4,366.35 mi)[4]
Eccentricity0.0024623
Perigee altitude631 kilometres (392 mi)
Apogee altitude665 kilometres (413 mi)
Inclination48.3797°
Period98.76 minutes
RAAN264.3671°
Argument of perigee226.1327°
Mean anomaly133.7550°
Mean motion14.74045109
Epoch22 April 2016, 21:05:55 GMT
Instruments
two slow-scan visible television camera
(wide-angle and narrow-angle)
horizon sensor
sun angle sensor
 

Launch
The instruments and equipment of TIROS-1.

The TIROS-1 spacecraft was launched by NASA and partners at 06:40 EST[5] on 1 April 1960, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the United States. Mission partners were NASA, the U.S. Army Signal Research and Development Laboratory, RCA, the U.S. Weather Bureau, and the U.S. Naval Photographic Interpretation Center.[1]

Program
Main article: Television Infrared Observation Satellite
The first TV image of Earth from space was recorded by TIROS-1[6]

The TIROS Program was NASA's first experimental step to determine if satellites could be useful in the study of the Earth. At that time, the effectiveness of satellite observations was still unproven. Since satellites were a new technology, the TIROS Program also tested various design issues for spacecraft: instruments, data and operational parameters. The goal was to improve satellite applications for Earth-bound decisions, such as "should we evacuate the coast because of the hurricane?".[1]

The TIROS-1 Program's first priority was the development of a meteorological satellite information system. Weather forecasting was deemed the most promising application of space-based observations.[1]

TIROS proved extremely successful, providing the first accurate weather forecasts based on data gathered from space. TIROS began continuous coverage of the Earth's weather in 1962, and was used by meteorologists worldwide. The program's success with many instrument types and orbital configurations led to the development of more sophisticated meteorological observation satellites.[1]

Instruments

The two cameras for TIROS-1 were for the visible spectrum. The cameras were slow-scan, taking a half-second to record an image, but had a 1.5-millisecond shutter. One camera had a wide-angle lens (104°/~750 miles) with the other having a narrow-angle (12.67°/~65 miles) with corresponding image resolutions of 1.5 miles and 1000 feet. Also included were a horizon sensor and a sun sensor, both used for indicating the orientation of the satellite for the images.

The TIROS-1 Magnetic Tape Data Recorder.
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References
  1. "TIROS". NASA Science. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  2. "TIROS 1". National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  3. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  4. "TIROS 1 Satellite details 1960-002B NORAD 29". N2YO. December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  5. "U.S. Launches Camera Weather Satellite". The Fresno Bee. AP and UPI. April 1, 1960. pp. 1a, 4a.
  6. Anderson, George D. (April 1, 2010). "The first weather satellite picture". Weather. 65 (4): 87. Bibcode:2010Wthr...65...87A. doi:10.1002/wea.550. ISSN 1477-8696.
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