TIROS I Launch, 1960

TIROS I was the first successful low-Earth orbital weather satellite, and the first of a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites. The TIROS-1 spacecraft was launched by NASA and partners on April 1, 1960, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the United States. The TIROS 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. The satellite, which weighed 270 pounds, was specifically designed to test experimental television techniques that would lead to a worldwide meteorological information system. The spacecraft carried two television cameras, a magnetic tape recorder, timer systems, transmitters and a power supply. Early photographs provided new information on cloud systems, including spiral formations associated with large storms, immediately proving their value to meteorologists

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