TIROS

home
topic index

Other Designations: Television Infrared Observation Satellite. Class: Earth. Type: Weather. Destination: Medium Earth Orbit. Nation: USA. Agency: ESSA, NASA, GSFC, NOAA. Manufacturer: RCA.

TIROS spacecraft were the beginning of a long series of polar-orbiting meteorological satellites. TIROS was followed by the TOS (TIROS Operational System) series, and then the ITOS (Improved TIROS) series, and later the NOAA series. TIROS spacecraft were developed by GSFC and managed by ESSA (Environmental Science Services Administration). The objective was to establish a global weather satellite system. Spacecraft: Body mounted solar cells. Payload: TIROS spacecraft carried low resolution television and infrared cameras.

Typical orbit: approx. 600 km, polar, circular. Length: 0.48 m (1.57 ft). Maximum Diameter: 1.07 m (3.51 ft). Mass: 130 kg (280 lb).

TIROS Chronology

1960 April 1 - Tiros 1 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 120 kg (260 lb). Perigee: 656 km (407 mi). Apogee: 696 km (432 mi). Inclination: 48.40 deg. Period: 98.30 min.
TV and Infrared Observation Satellite; returned 22952 cloud cover photos. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1960 November 23 - Tiros 2 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Perigee: 547 km (339 mi). Apogee: 610 km (370 mi). Inclination: 48.50 deg. Period: 96.30 min.
Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1961 July 12 - Tiros 3 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 129 kg (284 lb). Perigee: 723 km (449 mi). Apogee: 790 km (490 mi). Inclination: 47.90 deg. Period: 100.00 min.
Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1962 February 8 - Tiros 4 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 129 kg (284 lb). Perigee: 693 km (430 mi). Apogee: 812 km (504 mi). Inclination: 48.30 deg. Period: 99.90 min.
Returned 32593 cloud cover photos. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1962 June 19 - Tiros 5 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 129 kg (284 lb). Perigee: 580 km (360 mi). Apogee: 880 km (540 mi). Inclination: 58.10 deg. Period: 99.40 min.
Returned 58226 cloud cover images. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1962 September 18 - Tiros 6 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 127 kg (279 lb). Perigee: 631 km (392 mi). Apogee: 654 km (406 mi). Inclination: 58.30 deg. Period: 97.60 min.
Returned 66674 cloud cover images. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1963 June 19 - Tiros 7 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17B. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 135 kg (297 lb). Perigee: 338 km (210 mi). Apogee: 349 km (216 mi). Inclination: 58.20 deg. Period: 91.40 min.
Returned over 150000 cloud cover images. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1963 December 21 - Tiros 8 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17B. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 119 kg (262 lb). Perigee: 667 km (414 mi). Apogee: 705 km (438 mi). Inclination: 58.50 deg. Period: 98.50 min.
Returned more than 100,000 cloud cover images. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1965 January 22 - Tiros 9 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 138 kg (304 lb). Perigee: 705 km (438 mi). Apogee: 2,563 km (1,592 mi). Inclination: 96.40 deg. Period: 119.00 min.
Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1965 July 2 - Tiros 10 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17B. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 127 kg (279 lb). Perigee: 722 km (448 mi). Apogee: 807 km (501 mi). Inclination: 98.80 deg. Period: 100.10 min.
Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1966 February 3 - ESSA 1 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17A. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 138 kg (304 lb). Perigee: 684 km (425 mi). Apogee: 806 km (500 mi). Inclination: 97.80 deg. Period: 99.70 min.
Environmental Survey Satellite. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

1966 February 28 - ESSA 2 - Program: Tiros. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC17B. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 132 kg (291 lb). Perigee: 1,355 km (841 mi). Apogee: 1,415 km (879 mi). Inclination: 101.30 deg. Period: 113.50 min.
Environmental Survey Satellite; carried APT cameras. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).

Bibliography:

McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page (launch records), Harvard University, 1997-present. Web Address when accessed: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Web Address when accessed: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.
McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Web Address when accessed: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.
NASA Report, Tiros- The System and Its Evolution, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19650020963_1965020963.pdf.
NASA Report, The latitudinal distribution of cloud cover from TIROS photographs, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19650025629_1965025629.pdf.
NASA Report, TIROS VII Radiation Data Catalog and User's Manual, Volume 2, October 1, 1963 - February 29, 1964, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19650017913_1965017913.pdf.
NASA Report, TOS Mission Operations Plan for WTR Launches, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660025573_1966025573.pdf.
NASA Report, Design Report For The Tiros Operational Satellite /Tos/ System, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660017458_1966017458.pdf.
NASA Report, Atlas of Interpreted Photography of Southern Africa From Tiros Satellites I To Vlll, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660012360_1966012360.pdf.
NASA Report, Tiros X Meteorological Satellite System, Volume I Final Engineering Report, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660017475_1966017475.pdf.
NASA Report, Utilization of Radiometer Flown in Tiros III Satellite in Viewing Hurricane Anna, 1961 , Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19630004710_1963004710.pdf.
NASA Report, The TIROS II Radiation Experiment, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19980227099_1998386494.pdf.
NASA Report, The TIROS Low Resolution Radiometer, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19640020176_1964020176.pdf.
NASA Report, A synoptic world weather analysis of Tiros VII radiation data, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19670020028_1967020028.pdf.
NASA Report, Telemetering Infrared Data from the Tiros Meteorological Satellites, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19620004921_1962004921.pdf.
NASA Report, Tiros 1 Meteorological Satellite System Fnal Report, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19640007992_1964007992.pdf.
NASA Report, Tiros VII Infrared Radiation Coverage of the 1963 Atlantic Hurricane Season With Supporting Television and Conventional Meteorological Data, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660019779_1966019779.pdf.
NASA Report, The International Meteorological Satellite Workshop Nov 1961, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660082668_1966082668.pdf.

Contact us with any corrections, additions, or comments.

Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site..
To contact astronauts or cosmonauts.

© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.