Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite (TIROS-1)

“TIROS 1 (Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite), the first weather satellite, was designed to test the feasibility of obtaining and using TV cloud cover pictures from satellites.
The TIROS Program (Television Infrared Observation Satellite) 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.

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 lead to the development of more sophisticated meteorological observation satellites. (NASA, 2019)”

 

Sources

NASA. 2019. “Launch of TIROS 1, World's 1st Weather Satellite — This Week in Goddard History: March 31–April 6.” NASA.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/launch-of-tiros-1-worlds-1st-….

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