Television Infrared Observation Satellite

Television InfraRed Observation Satellite
TIROS 6 satellite
ManufacturerRCA Astrospace
Lockheed Martin
Country of originUnited States
OperatorNASA
ApplicationsMeteorology
Specifications
BusTIROS
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Production
Launched45
Lost4
First TV image of Earth from space

Television InfraRed Observation Satellite (TIROS) is a series of early weather satellites launched by the United States, beginning with TIROS-1 in 1960. TIROS was the first satellite that was capable of remote sensing of the Earth, enabling scientists to view the Earth from a new perspective: space.[1] The program, promoted by Harry Wexler, proved the usefulness of satellite weather observation, at a time when military reconnaissance satellites were secretly in development or use. TIROS demonstrated at that time that "the key to genius is often simplicity".[2] TIROS is an acronym of "Television InfraRed Observation Satellite" and is also the plural of "tiro" which means "a young soldier, a beginner".[3]

The Advanced Research Projects Agency (now DARPA) initiated the TIROS program in 1958 and transferred the program to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1959.[4] Participants in the TIROS program also included, United States Army Signal Research and Development Laboratory, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the United States Weather Bureau Service, the United States Naval Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC), the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).[5]

  1. ^ Space-Based Remote Sensing of the Earth: A Report to the Congress. NASA Technical Reports Server (Report). September 1987. hdl:2060/19880008662. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "Modern Mechanix: How Tiros Photographs the World". Archived from the original on 18 September 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2007.
  3. ^ "tiro - Wiktionary". en.wiktionary.org. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Feb. 7, 1958: U.S. Creates ARPA in Response to Sputnik". spacenews.com. 6 February 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  5. ^ EXPLORES! (EXPloring and Learning the Operations and Resources of Environmental Satellites!) Archived 1997-07-24 at the Wayback Machine

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