NEWS R E L E A S E

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

1520 H S T R E E T , N O R T H W E S T . W A S H I N G T O N 2 5 . D. C.
TELEPHONES: DUDLEY 2 - 6 3 2 5 . E X E C U T I V E 3-3280

F O R RELEASE: Sunday AM's

RELEAsE NO. 61-147 J u l y $$ 1961

-S a t e l l i t e )
Another s t e p i n t h e development of a g l o b a l o.-p e r a t i o n a l -_I

s a t D T t F w e a t h e r o b s e r v a t i o n system w i l l soon be a€€-

by t h e National Aeronautics and Space Administration i n
launching a t h i r d T i r o s m e t e o r o l o g i c a l s a t e l l i t e from Cape
Canaveral, F l o r i d a ,
I f t h e launch i s completely s u c c e s s f u l , t h e 285-pound
s a t e l l i t e w i l l c i r c l e t h e earth every 98 minutes i n a 400
m i l e h i g h o r b i t and, l i k e i t s s i s t e r s a t e l l i t e s , T i r o s I
and T i r o s 11, t r a n s m i t thousands of t e l e v i s i o n p i c t u r e s of
t h e e a r t h ' s cloud cover t o ground s t a t i o n s f o r weather
analysis
The new T i r o s i s of p a r t i c u l a r i n t e r e s t t o m e t e o r o l o g i s t s
i n t h a t t h e p r o j e c t e d l i f e t i m e of t h e s a t e l l i t e c o i n c i d e s
w i t h t h e c u r r e n t h u r r i c a n e season, Weather a n a l y s t s are
hopeful. t h a t the s a t e l l i t e w i l l provide v a l u a b l e i n s i g h t s
on t h e o r i g i n , development and movement of h u r r i c a n e s .
Unlike T i r o s I and I1 which used one wide angle and one
narrow a n g l e high r e s o l u t i o n v i d i c o n t e l e v i s i o n cameras, t h i s
T i r o s w i l l be equipped w i t h two wide a n g l e cameras. This
change was based on t h e e a r l i e r experiments which showed
that more v a l u a b l e information f o r weather a n a l y s i s was
a v a i l a b l e from t h e wide a n g l e p i c t u r e s . The two cameras
i n t h i s experiment are i d e n t i c a l t o t h e wide a n g l e camera
used i n Tiros I and 11.

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 As ir: the f i r a t and seeond Tiros, the satellite contains
magnetic tape recorders whioh can store up to thirty-two pictures
during each orb5-t for transmission earthward when the satellite
is wlthin 1500 mile command range of a ground station.
Ir,addition, the hat-boxed shaped satellite carries
improved remote control programmers for the electronic equip-
ment and new transistorized circuits in the electronic clocks
which trigger the cameras.
Other fnstrumentation, which fncludes beacon transmitters,
attitude sensors, hoaafzon mmmers, telemetry circuits and
a magnetic orfentation control system is iden
used in Tiros 11. Also, as in Tiros 11, Wt'W
contains infrared radfatlon experiments to measure sun-earth
radiation relationships.
Power fos the operation of electronic equlpment is
furnished by chemlcal batteries charged by more than 9,000
solar c e l l s which are mounted on the tops and sides of the
42 x 19 inch high apacecraft.
The launching vehfole w i l l be a three stage Delta rocket
developed by NASA. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has
overall technical direotion of the satellite, including
tracking and command responsibility, mCt1;develoged the
scanning infrared radiatian @xperiments. The Astro Exectronics
Products Division of RCA designed the eelevision system and
assembled and tested the myload under NASA contract. The
Meteorological Satellite LaQQratoryof t h e U. S. Meather Bureau
is responsible f o r analysis of ehe meteorological data and
a number of U, Sl and forQign nation weather agencies are
expected t o mke use of Tfros da&ta both'for research and
current weather analysis.

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 FACT SHEET
THE TIROS SATELLITE
QENERAL :
Satellite was designed to obtain television pictures of cloud
formations and infrared measurements of heat balance in the
atmosphere around the world, and transmit both pictures and
measurements to ground stations for meteorological analysis and
limited operational use.
Weight : 285 pounds
Shape Dimensions: Cylindrical, resembling a large hat box,
42 inches in diameter, 19 inches high.
Launch : From Atlantic Missile Range, Cape Canaveral, Florida
on a three-stage Thor Delta vehicle.
Orbit: Approximately '400 miles altitude, at inclination
of 48 degrees from the Equator at speeds approaching
17,000 miles per hour.

OPERATION :
Power: 9,260 solar cells provide electrical energy to
63 nickel cadmium storage batteries which, in turn,
power electronic instrumentation.
Transmitters : Five transmitters relay data from the satellite to
ground stations.
a. Each of the two television camera systems has
a two watt ground command transmitter operating
on 235 megacycles.
b, One two-watt 237.8 megacycle transmitter, a l s o
operated by ground command, relays infrared
experiments data.
c. Two 30-mc tracking beacons operating continu-
ously on frequencies of 108 mc and 108.03 mc
are used to relay satellite environmental
data such as temperature, pressure and battery
charge level. Beacon frequencies are modulated
by ground command.
Television System:
The satellite's two identical TV cameras use a one-
half inch Vidicon tube especially designed for
satellite use. The cameras are aligned parallel
to the satellite's spin axis and "see" through
the spacecraft baseplate. Each camera consists
of a Vidicon tube and a focal plane shutter which
permits still pictures to be stored on the tube screen.
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 An e l e c t r o n beam converts t h i s s t o r e d p i c t u r e i n t o
a TV-type e l e c t r o n i c s i g n a l which can b e t r a n s m i t t e d
t o ground r e c e i v e r s .
Connected t o each camera i s a magnetic t a p e r e c o r d e r
and e l e c t r o n i c clock o r t i m e r . Out of ground s t a t i o n range, each
camera cafi r e c o r d up t o t h i r t y - t w o p i c t u r e s on t h e s t o r a g e t a p e
f o r l a t e r r e l a y - - t h i s can be done by programming t h e timer, as
much as f i v e hours i n advance When t h e s a t e l l i t e i s w i t h i n
ground s t a t i o n range t h e photos a r e "read out" and t h e t a p e i s
wiped clean, immediately rewinding i t s e l f f o r i t s n e x t recording.
The magnetic t a p e s t o r a g e system can a l s o be bypassed, and t h e
s a t e l l i t e then t r a n s m i t s p i c t u r e s d i r e c t l y t o t h e ground s t a t i o n
as i t p a s s e s through i t s range.
The p l a s t i c t a p e i s 400 f e e t long and moves f i f t y
ir,c,hes per second during playback and r e c o r d i n g . Photo data are
t r a n s m s t t e d from one camera at a t i m e and tape readout from both
cameras t a k e s about three minutes. The two TV systems o p e r a t e
indepe~dently .
Horizon Sensor:
An i n f r a r e d s e n s o r , mounted on t h e r i m of t h e
s a t e l l i t e can determine when i t s f i e l d of view c r o s s e s t h e E a r t h ' s
horizon. T h i s information i s r e l a y e d t o t h e ground s t a t i o n s v i a
t h e t r a c k i n g beacons and assists i n determining t h e s a t e l l i t e ' s
a t t i t u d e i n space.

North I n d i c a t o r :
Around t h e s i d e s of t h e s p a c e c r a f t a r e nine
e s p e c i a l l y p o s i t i o n e d s o l a r c e l l s , which g e n e r a t e impulses to
measure t h e p o s i t i o n of t h e s a t e l l i t e w i t h r e s p e c t to t h e Sun.
These data a r e t r a n s m i t t e d w i t h t h e TV t r a n s m i s s i o n t o t h e
ground s t a t i o n s where they are processed by a computer t o show
which d i r e c t i o n i s n o r t h i n each photograph.

Magnetic Q r i e n ' t a t i o n Control:

A wire coil around t h e e x t e r i o r lower s i d e s of
t h e s a t e l l i t e g e n e r a t e s a. c o n t r o l l a b l e magnetic f i e l d around t h e
s a t e l l i t e . When t h i s magnetic f i e l d i n t e r r a c t s w i t h t h e e a r t h ' s ,
it provides a means f o r g r a d u a l l y t i l t i n g t h e s a t e l l i t e on command
t o o b t a i n advantageous a n g l e f o r s e n s o r s and s o l a r power supply.

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Controls :
When t h e payload i s s e p a r a t e d from t h e t h i r d s t a g e
o f t h e Delta launch v e h i c l e i t w i l l be spinning a t about 126 r . p , m .
About t e n minutes a f t e r s e p a r a t i o n , a t i m e r w i l l r e l e a s e a de-spin
mechanism t o s l o w t h e r e v o l u t i o n s t o a b o u t 1 2 r . p . m . T h i s mechanism
c o n s i s t s of two weights a t t a c h e d t o c a b l e s wound around t h e s a t e l l i t e .
As t h e weights unwind, t h e y s l o w t h e r a t e of s p i n and when completely
unwound, drop o f f a u t o m a t i c a l l y . The s a t e l l i t e has an i n t e r n a l
arrangement of s l i d i n g weights to cancel any wobbling motion.
To remain s t a b l e i n o r b i t , T i r o s must maintain a
s p i n r a t e of a t l e a s t 9 r.p.m. and when t h e s a t e l l i t e s p i n approaches
t h i s minimum one of f i v e p a i r s of small c o n t r o l r o c k e t s are f i r e d
t o speed up r o t a t i o n . These s e t s of r o c k e t s are l o c a t e d around t h e
baseplate of t h e s a t e l l i t e , a c t i v a t e d by ground command and each
s e t can only be used once.

INFRARED RADIATION EXPERIMENTS

T i r o s c a r r i e s t h r e e r a d i a t i o n experiments, one scanning and
two non-scanning. The scanning experiment c o n s i s t s of f i v e s e n s o r s
t o map r a d i a t i o n i n v a r i o u s s p e c t r a l f i e l d s and i s e s s e n t i a l l y t h e
same experiment which was conducted by T i r o s 11. T h i s experiment
i n c l u d e s mapping of r e f l e c t e d s o l a r r a d i a t i o n , long wave r a d i a t i o n
e m i t t e d from t h e e a r t h and i t s atmosphere, temperature o f t h e e a r t h ' s
s u r f a c e or cloud t o p s and temperature of an atmospheric l e v e l varying
w i t h t h e amount of water vapor a t an average a l t i t u d e of about 25,000
feet.
One non-scanning type i s t h e same a s i n T i r o s I1 and w i l l
provide g r o s s h e a t budget information by measuring r e f l e c t e d s o l a r
r a d i a t i o n and long wave r a d i a t i o n e m i t t e d from the e a r t h and
a%mosphere. The second non-scanning and new experiment has been
designed by Dr. Vernon Suomi of t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Wisconsin and
i s similar t o t h a t which was s u c c e s s f u l l y used on Explorer VII.
T h i s experiment a l s o w i l l measure t h e g r o s s h e a t budget b u t t h e
data w i l l b e more continuous s i n c e t h e s e n s o r s can view t h e e a r t h
a l m o s t a l l of t h e time,
Purpose behind t h e I R experiments i s t o f i n d o u t how much
s o l a r energy i s abosrbed, r e f l e c t e d and e m i t t e d by t h e e a r t h and
i t s atmosphere; knowledge which c o u l d prove of g r e a t value t o
meteorologists.
Data f r o m t h e i n f r a r e d experiments a r e recorded continuously
f o r one o r b i t on magnetic t a p e f o r playback on command from one
of t h e ground s t a t i o n s .

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GitOUND STATIONS
-.

There m e two NASA primary command and data readout stations.

Oq.e, operated under a service contract with RCA, is located at
W ~ l l o p sIsland, Virginia. The other, operated by the U. S. Navy,
is located at the Pacific Missile Range, California. Backup
s,ations a r e located at the Atlantic Missile Range, Florida and
R C A ' s facility in Princeton, New Jersey.
At the ground stations, cloud cover pictures will be displayed
on Kinescopes for photographing. In addition, both photo and
infrared data will be recorded on magnetic tapes. Meteorological
terns at both primary &rcund stations will analyze the most
immediately useful data and some pictures will be transmitted
in real time through weather communications networks for limited
operatlonal use.
The infrared tapes will be sent to NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center : f o r processing and analysis. Negatives of cloud pictures
will be sent t o the U. S. Naval Photographic Interpretation Center
for photo developing and processing.

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 TIROS
PROJECT PARTICIPANTS

The o v e r - a l l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e p r o j e c t r e s t s w i t h t h e
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The o p e r a t i o n a l
phase of t h e p r o j e c t , i s under t h e d i r e c t i o n of NASA's Goddard
Space F l i g h t Center. Goddard w i l l pr,epare t h e command program-
ming which t h e ground s t a t i o n s w i l l relay t o t h e s a t e l l i t e .
These programs w i l l be based on information from NASA's Comput-
i n g Center and t h e Meteorological S a t e l l i t e Laboratory of t h e
U. S. Weather Bureau. The r a d i a t i o n experiments were designed
and t h e data s t o r a g e and t e l e m e t r y equipment a s s o c i a t e d w i t h
them were c o n s t r u c t e d by Goddard where t h e I R data w i l l be
analyzed. Operational t r a c k i n g w i l l be provided by t h e Plini-
t r a c k network, c o n t r o l l e d from Goddard.
With t h e exception of t h e i n f r a r e d experiments, t h e
s a t e l l i t e was designed and c o n s t r u c t e d by the A s t r o - E l e c t r o n i c s
Divison of RCA, P r i n c e t o n , N e w Jersey, under c o n t r a c t t o NASA.
I n a d d i t i o n , RCA was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e s p e c i a l ground s t a t i o n
equipment. Barnes Engineering Company, Stamford, Connecticut,
under NASA c o n t r a c t , provided r a d i a t i o n d e t e c t o r s . Dr. Vernon
Suomi, U n i v e r s i t y of Wisconsin, designed and c o n s t r u c t e d one of
t h e I R experiments.
Douglas A i r c r a f t Company i s prime c o n t r a c t o r f o r t h e Delta
launch v e h i c l e . I n a d d i t i o n , i t i s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r launching
s e r v i c e s , supported by t h e A i r Force Missile T e s t Center which
o p e r a t e s t h e A t l a n t i c M i s s i l e Range.
The Meteorological S a t e l l i t e Laboratory of t h e U . S . Weather
Bureau i s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r a n a l y s i s of cloud c6ver data and
m e t e o r o l o g i c a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of t h e r a d i a t i o n data. Cooperat-
ing i n t h i s phase of t h e p r o j e c t a r e t h e U . S. Navy Photographic
I n t e r p r e t a t i o n Center, t h e Geophysics Research D i r e c t o r a t e of
t h e A i r Force Cambridge Research L a b o r a t o r i e s , t h e A i r Force
A i r Weather S e r v i c e g t h e Navy Weather S e r v i c e and u n i v e r s i t y
r e s e a r c h groups e

O f f i c i a l s concerned w i t h t h e TIROS experiment include:

D r . Morrr's Tepper, Chief of Meteorology Programs, NASA

Headquarters
Mr. W i l l i a m G . Stroud, Chief of t h e Aeronomy and Meteor-
ology Division a t Goddard Space F l i g h t Center.
M r . Robert M. Rados, TIROS P r o j e c t Nanager, N A S A ' s Goddard
SDace F l i g h t Center.

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 Abraham Schnapf, Project Manager for RCA's A s t r o -
Electronics Division.
Dave Johnson, Director f o r the Weather Bureau's Meteor-
logical Satellite Laboratory.
International Cooperation:
As in the case of TIROS 11, NASA and the U. S. Weather
Bureau will conduct a joint program of international participa-
tion with the new TIROS. The objective of this program will
be to provide an opportunity far weather services in other
countries to correlate their o w n ground-based observations
with satellite cloud cover photographs.
After the satellite is launched and has been determined
to be operating satAsfactorily, interested countries will ,be
notified and provided with information to use in coordinating
their own observ@tions.
The exchange of photographs and other meteorological data
obtained as a result of these coordinated observations will be
conducted by the U. S. Weather Bureau.

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 TIROS I AND TIROS I1
SUMMARY

The 27O-pound T i r o s I was launched i n t o a n e a r c i r c u l a r o r b i t

from Cape Canaveral on 1 A p r i l 1960. Over 22,000 photographs of cloud
cover were t r a n s m i t t e d between 1 A p r i l and 17 June 1960, when photo
i n t e r r o g a t i o n ceased. D e s p i t e i t s r e l a t i v e l y b r i e f s c i e n t i f i c a l l y
u s e f u l l i f e t i m e of 78 days, m e t e r o l o g i s t s h a i l e d T i r o s I as t h e
h e r a l d of new and advanced weather o b s e r v a t i o n e r a .
T i r o s I1 was launched from Cape Canaveral on 23 November 1960
i n t o e s s e n t i a l l y t h e same 400-mile-plus h i g h o r b i t a l groove of t h e
e a r l i e r T i r o s . A t t h e t i m e of Jaunch I t was g i v e n a n estimated
l i f e t i m e of t h r e e months, but t h e r e l i a b i l i t y of t h e s a t e l l i t e ' s
e l i l c t r o n i c components exceeded a l l e x p e c t a t i o n s , and it was s t i l l
t p a n s m i t t i n g u s e f u l d a t a seven months a f t e r launch. A s of 22 May
1961 a t o t a l of 31,485 photographs had been t r a n s m i t t e d earthward
by t h e narrow a n g l e and wide a n g l e t e l e v i s i o n systems of' t h e
s p a c e c r a f t . The i n f r a r e d experiment s e n s o r s f a i l e d a f t e r f i v , e months.
T l i J s , a t t h e time of launch of t h e new T i r o s , T i r o s I1 i s producing
narrow a n g l e p i c t u r e s , degraded wide a n g l e p i c t u r e s and no I R d a t a .
The narrow a n g l e p i c t u r e s a r e e s s e n t i a l l y u s e f u l f o r r e s e a r c h and an
adequate volume now e x i s t s . The new T i r o s w i l l provide b e t t e r w i d e
a n g l e p i c t u r e s and l a r g e volume of I R d a t a .
When t h e new T i r o s has been launched and has been determined t o
be o p e r a t i n g s u c c e s s f u l l y , T i r o s I1 w i l l be s i l e n c e d . From time t o
time, when p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e s t i n g weather e v e n t s a r e noted, a t t e m p t s
w i l l be made to r e a c t i v a t e T i r o s 11. However, s u c c e s s f u l resumption
of data production by T i r o s I1 i s considered t o be h i g h l y d o u b t f u l .

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. . . .. - . .. . .. " I._..I_.-. .- I_ . .. . .... .. . . . - - .. - ... .... ~ ,. - -.

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The Delta v e h i c l e used t o
LAUNCH V

has t h e s e c h a r a c t e r -
isticg:
Height: 92 f e e t
Max Diameter 8 feet
L i f t - o f f Weight: A l i t t l e l e s s t h a n 112,000 pounds
F i r s t S t a g e (Modified Douglas T h o r ) :
Fuel : Liquid (LOX and Kerosene)
Thrust: About l50,OOO pounds
Burning Time: 160 seconds
Second Stage ( A e r o j e t General):
Fuel: Liquid
Thrust : About 7,500 pounds
Burning Time: 109 seconds
T h i r d Stage (Allqgany Ballistics Laboratory X-248) :
Fuel : Solid
I

Thrust: About 3,000 pounds

Burning Time: 40 seconds ( A f t e r 7 minute c o a s t )
F i r i n g Sequence:
The f i r s t s t a g e f a l l s away on burnout. The second
s t a g e i g n i t e s immediately. The nose f a i r i n g which covers t h i r d
s t a g e and payload i s j e t t i s o n e d a f t e r twenty seconds of second s t a g e
burning. The t h i r d s t a g e d o e s n ' t i g n i t e u n t i l seven minutes of
c o a s t i n g a f t e r second s t a g e burnout. Then, t h e t h i r d s t a g e i s s p i n -
s t a b i l i z e d and t h e second s t a g e f a l l s away. The t h i r d s t a g e reaches
a n o r b i t a l v e l o c i t y of almost 17,000 m i l e s p e r hour.

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