Mission type | Weather satellite |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
Harvard designation | 1962 αα1 |
COSPAR ID | 1962-025A |
SATCAT no. | 309 |
Mission duration | 11 months |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | TIROS |
Manufacturer | RCA Astro / GSFC |
Launch mass | 129.3 kilograms (285 lb) [1] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | June 19, 1962, 12:14 UTC [2] |
Rocket | Thor-Delta |
Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-17A |
End of mission | |
Last contact | May 14, 1963 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Eccentricity | 0.02695 [1] |
Perigee altitude | 586 kilometers (364 mi) [1] |
Apogee altitude | 972 kilometers (604 mi) [1] |
Inclination | 58.08° [1] |
Period | 100 minutes [1] |
Epoch | June 19, 1962 [1] |
Instruments | |
Television Camera System | |
TIROS 5 (also called TIROS-E and A-50) was a spin-stabilized meteorological satellite. It was the fifth in a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites.
TIROS 5 was launched on June 19, 1962, by a Thor-Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, United States. The spacecraft functioned nominally until June 30, 1962. The satellite orbited the Earth once every 1 hour and 30 minutes, at an inclination of 58°. Its perigee was 586 kilometers (364 mi) and apogee was 972 kilometers (604 mi). [1]
TIROS 5 was designed to further demonstrate the capability of a spacecraft to observe, record, and transmit TV cloud cover pictures for use in operational weather analysis and forecasting. The spin-stabilized satellite was in the form of an 18-sided right prism, 107 cm across opposite corners and 56 cm high, with a reinforced baseplate carrying most of the subsystems and a cover assembly. Electric energy was supplied to the spacecraft by approximately 9000 1- by 2-cm silicon solar cells mounted on the cover assembly and by 21 nickel-cadmium batteries.
A single monopole antenna for reception of ground commands extended from the top of the cover assembly. A pair of crossed-dipole telemetry antennas (235 MHz) projected down and diagonally out from the baseplate. The satellite spin rate was maintained between 8 and 12 rpm by the use of five diametrically opposed pairs of small solid-fuel thrusters mounted around the edge of the baseplate. Proper attitude was maintained to within a 1° to 2° accuracy by use of a magnetic control device consisting of 250 cores of wire wound around the outer surface of the spacecraft.
The interaction between the induced magnetic field in the spacecraft and the Earth's magnetic field provided the necessary torque for attitude control. TIROS-5 was equipped with two 1.27-cm vidicon TV cameras, one medium angle and one wide angle, for taking Earth cloudcover pictures. The pictures were transmitted directly to either of two ground receiving stations or were stored in a tape recorder on board for subsequent playback depending on whether the satellite was within or beyond the communication range of the station. The greater orbital inclination of TIROS 5 (58° vs 48° for previous TIROS spacecraft) extended the effective TV coverage from 65° N to 65° S lat.
With the exception of the failure of the medium-angle camera 17 days after launch, the satellite performed normally until May 14, 1963, when it was deactivated after the shutter electronics failed on the wide-angle camera. [3]
TIROS-1 was the first full-scale weather satellite, the first of a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites (TIROS) placed in low Earth orbit.
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. 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". TIROS is an acronym of "Television InfraRed Observation Satellite" and is also the plural of "tiro" which means "a young soldier, a beginner".
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TIROS-3 was a spin-stabilized meteorological satellite. It was the third in a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites.
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TIROS-7 was a spin-stabilized meteorological satellite. It was the seventh in a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites.
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ESSA-2 was a spin-stabilized operational meteorological satellite. Its name was derived from that of its oversight agency, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA).
Nimbus 1 was a meteorological satellite. It was the first in a series of the Nimbus program.
Nimbus 2 was a meteorological satellite. It was the second in a series of the Nimbus program.
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NOAA-1 was a weather satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It was part of a series of satellites called ITOS, or improved TIROS. ITOS-B was released on October 21, 1971, from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, with a Delta rocket. It failed to achieve a successful Earth orbit. A malfunction in the second stage launch vehicle caused the spacecraft to reenter the Earth's atmosphere about 1 hour after lift-off.
NOAA-5, also known as ITOS-H was a weather satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It was part of a series of satellites called ITOS, or improved TIROS, being the last of the series. NOAA-5 was launched on a Delta rocket on July 29, 1976.