1. April 1 , 1960 st
Launching of the first weather satellite
Presented by: Louie D’Amico

2. Research Question
How was the launching of the first
weather satellite significant; and
how can we use it as a lens to look
into the satellites we have today
and their affects on our lives?

3. Launching the first weather satellite
Launched on April 1st, 1960
Name: TIROS-1
Television Infa-Red Observation Satellite
Launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida
Polar satellite
Passes (close enough) over the north and
south pole during its orbit

4. What was the first weather satellite?
Made of aluminum and stainless steal
42” diameter, 19” high
270 lbs
9,200 solar cells
2 TV cameras
1 hi-resolution
1 low-resolution
5 Antennae
1 received control signals from Earth
4 sent TV images to Earth

5. Who built this thing?
“One of the nations largest and most prestigious electronic firms”
Planning began in 1955
Radio Corporation of America (RCA)
The leading TV makers
Fitting to make a satellite with 2 TVs on it
They couldn’t handle it

6. Lavelle helped out
In 1957 the project was turned over to Tomas Lavelle and the Lavelle company
Maker of precision aircraft during WWII
Abandoned RCA
Turned in a completed satellite in 1959
RCA then put their 2 TVs on
It was ready for launch

7. Guess What!
Lavelle Aircraft’s factory was in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

8. What did the first weather satellite do?
It took pictures of the Earth
that’s about it…
It was in the orbit for 78 days
only because it suffered a power failure on day 77
It was claimed to be there to study weather patterns
which it took 22,952 pictures of
After discussion with my uncle…

9. …Was it a spy satellite?
Russians launched Sputnik-1
1957
“Designed to shoot innocent Americans sitting on their front porches”
Due to the ‘Red Scare’ Americans wear terrified of the fact that Russia was in
Space

10. What Sputnik-1 looked like

11. What Americans thought it looked like
lasers
America

12. Was TIROS-1’s underlying objective to
spy on Soviets?

13. No… 
TIROS-1 was not a spy satellite
It opened the door to reconnaissance space technology
In 1956 planning had begun for reconnaissance space technology
3 sections
CORONA
Took pictures and shot the developed copies out of orbit
SAMOS
Photos would be sent back via radio signals
Closest to real-time
Images received within 90 minutes
MIDAS
Missile Defense Alarm System
Warned US of a missile attack

14. August 17, 1960
The first successful reconnaissance flight takes place
Discovered 64 air bases and 26 new SAM sites within the Soviet Union
Photos taken by satellite “Discovery 14” part of CORONA program
1 week later, when Eisenhower saw the pictures, the NRO was started

15. Who was in charge of this stuff?
National Reconnaissance office (NRO)
Secret organization funded by the CIA
Worked under the Air Force’s Office of Space Systems in the Pentagon
Responsible for all U.S. reconnaissance satellites
As well as the development of modern U-2 and SR-71A spy planes
The public did not know about the organization until September 18th, 1992
The “blackest” (most secret) organization in the military at the time

16. Now back to the weather…

17. TIROS-1 video
Start at 1:24
http://en.sevenload.com/shows/NASA-Goddard-Shorts/episodes/bd2PPf3-TIROS-1-The-Fore

18. Now that you’ve all waken up…
TIROS-1 proved the feasibility of an “eye in the sky”
Helped weathermen create more accurate forecasts
Before TIROS-1 weathermen compiled data taken from various
ground locations for their forecasts
Not very accurate
Helped to better understand weather patterns and storm systems

19. What’s this…?

20. …a hurricane
“Before the (first) weather satellite, nobody had
any idea what a hurricane (or any storm) looked
like” –James Greaves, administrator at NASA
Shows how clueless people were beforehand
Hurricanes used to hit ‘out-of-the-blue’
Puerto Rico called after they got hit
U.S. informed Florida
No other early warning
TIROS changed that

21. Why does this matter?
TIROS-1 proved that a weather observation was possible
If it weren’t for this and the hype of the space race who knows
how long it would have been before a satellite was launched
This would put back the advancements in meteorology and many other
things

22. So what?
How many people checked the weather this morning?
How many used their cell phone or SATELLITE TV?
Did the report influence your planning for the day?
So, there you have it

23. The First one worked…now what?
A look at life after the first weather
satellite.

24. Modern Polar Operational
Enviromental Satellites (POES)
Similar in concept to TIROS satellites
Fly at low altitude
Pass over the poles in orbit
Takes a lot of coverage
Good for mapping and weather

25. Modern POES- TIROS-N
Launched in 2009
Last of the TIROS original POES program (TIROS)
TIROS program to be replaced in 2013
Orbits every 102 minutes
TIROS-1 orbited every 90 minutes

26. Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellites (GOES)
Evolved from POES
Positioned to orbit around the same point on Earth
usually in a band around the Equator
Average altitude– 22,223 miles
1/10 the distance to the moon

27. Modern GOES- GOES-N
Newest geostationary satellite in orbit
Monitor weather patterns
Provide information on environmental “triggers” for sever weather

28. Congestion in the parking lot
The band around the Equator is know as the “Satellite parking lot
It is filling up
All communication and TV satellites are Geostationary

29. A couple more huge breakthroughs

30. Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
Use satellites to pinpoint your location on the Earth
Helpful when driving and are often built into cars
Also are available handheld to access ones exact geographic location

31. Emergency Beacons
Also have GPS’s that send emergency ‘beacon’ (signals) to satellites when in
distress
Trapped in woods hunting
Trapped in mountains hiking
Trapped anywhere
To date
30,000+ people saved
since 1982

32. Answering the Research Question
Q: How was the launching of the first weather satellite
significant; and how can we use it as a lens to look into
the modern satellites we have today and their affects on
our lives?
A: The first weather satellite opened the door to modern
Space observation technology. Through the original
TIROS satellites to the modern POES and GOES, it has
been the starting point. It has also created some life-
saving possibilities as well as some tactical options
during war. It also influences the lives of people through
satellite TV, cell phones, and GPS.

33. THE END

34. Bibliography
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/tirosn.htm
http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/
http://science.howstuffworks.com/satellite6.htm
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/goes-n/main/index.html
http://webster.hibo.no/asf/Cold_War/report1/williame.html
http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-2F5
http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/foundations/satellites/welcome.html#polar
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/03/dayintech_0401
http://en.sevenload.com/shows/NASA-Goddard-Shorts/episodes/bd2PPf3-TIROS-1-The-Forecast-Revolution-Begins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md0jc-IaGWA (primary)
Google Images
January 10, 1969 issue of LIFE Magazine (primary)
Interviewed:
Pat Nugent
John Nugent
George Kazas
Dan Bratich
Lou D’Amico
Angela D’Amico