Tiros X Press Kit

8/8/2019 Tiros X Press Kit

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W NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION WO 2-41%WASHINGTON, D C. 20546 TELS. WO

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY AMNSJune 25, 1965:65-197 Also released byRELEASE NO: 6Weather Bureau

R PROJECT: TIROS XCONTENTS

b GENERAL NEWS RELEASE..*... ........ .. .....-4


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION TELS WO 2-4155WAI WASHINGTON, D.C. 20546 WO 3-6925FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY AM' SJune 25, 1965

RELEASE NO: 65-197 Also released byWeather Bureau

NASA TO LAUNCH1OTH TIROS SATELLITE

FOR WEATHER BUREAU

The first Weather Bureau-funded TIROS weather satellitewill be launched by the National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration from Cape Kennedy, Fla. no earlier thanJune 29, 1965.


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-2-Launch at this time of the 10th TIROS is designed to

make certain at least one storm tracker will be workingduring the upcoming hurricane season. Just how much longerTIROS VII and VIII will operate is hard to determine.

TIROS VII was launched June 19, 1963 and TIROS VIIIDec. 21, 1963. During much of this year's hurricane season,TIROS IX will be viewing the dark side of the Earth, along


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NASA's Delta launch vehicle will be used to put thc.spacecraft into a circular, 460-statute-mile orbit inclined82 degrees retrograde to the Equator. Orbital period willbe 100 minutes. This will be the 32nd launching for theDouglas-built Delta which has had 29 successes.

The satellite will be controlled during its lifetimeby the NASA ground station complex as were the previous nineresearch and development TIROS. Weather data will be analyzed


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-4-many attempts. TIROS satellites recently passed the1/2-million-picture-mark (507,705 pictures as of June25, 1965) with more than 90 per cent being usable bymeteorologists for daily weather analysis.

Program management for TIROS is the responsibility ofNASA's Office of Space Science and Applications. Technicaldirection is assigned to the Goddard Space Flight Center,


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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Spacec-aft ............................ Cylindrical, 18-sidedpolygon, 22 inches highand 42 in diameter,We~ighing 280 pounds.(Similar to the TIROS VI)Mission objectives ..................... o obtain maximum photocoverage of the hurrica.ie

belt for this year'shurricane season. Tocontinue the developmentof a meteorological satellitesystem and to continue toprovide observations of theEarth's cloud cover for


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-6-Calmeras............................... Two 1/2 inch vidiconcameras which take morethan 400 pictures dailywith a resolution of abouttwo miles at picture center.The cameras are positioned onthe bottom of the spacecraftand will be programmed totake a picture every 60 secondsPower System.......................... 9,100 solar cells, P on N(positive on negative) which

convelrt Sun -'ner -- toelectrical ewreg to keep63-nickel cadmium batteriescharged.

Control System ........................ Spin stabilized at 10revolutions per minute.


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-7-Spacecraft ......... Astro ElectronicsDivision Radio Corp.of AmericaHightstown,N.J.

THE FLIGHT PLAN

The next TIROS will be the second NASA satellite firedinto a polar orbit from Cape Kennedy, Fla. The flight planfor the Delta launch vehicle is identical to the one usedfor the TIROS IX launching Jan. 22, 1965.

Delta will leave Complex 17, Pad B., and must performtwo precise "dog-leg" maneuvers before it reaches its orbitalinjection point over the Pacific Ocean. All commands during


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and the nose will be turned left eight degrees so that itis in the proper attitude and trajectory for third stageignition and injection into orbit-over the Pacific Oceanabout 300 miles West of Quito, Ecuador (84 degrees Westlongitude, 0 degrees latitude).


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-9-THE SPACECRAFT

The 280-pound spacecraft is almost identical to TIROSvI. It :s an 18-sided polygon which stands 22 inches highand measures 42 inches in diameter.

Two, 2 inch vidicon television cameras stick out of thebottom, or baseplate, of the spacecraft. Each picture willcover an area 800 miles square (640,000 square miles) whenthe cameras are looking straight down. Radio commands fromthe ground will set a clock in the spacecraft to trigger the


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The station was closed down in May because the Alaskan andVirginian stations can receive data on a sufficient numberof orbits on a daily basis because of the near polar orbit.

POLAR SUN-SYNCHRONOUS ORBIT

Approximately 60 to 80 percent of the sunlit world willbe photographed daily by the spacecraft due to a combinationof a polar, Sun-synchronous orbit plus a control system whichcan change the satellite's attitude in space relative to theearth.


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To achieve a Sun-synchronous orbit, the spacecraft mustachieve a given altitude and a given inclination to the equator.

STABILIZATION AND CONTROL SUBSYSTEMS

The Quarter orbit Magnetic Attitude Control (QOMAC)system, first tested on TIROS IX to turn the satellite on itsside into the cartwheel attitude, will be used on this space-craft to change its attitude. To change the satellite'sattitude, one of the CDA stations sends a command which causes


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TIROS SCOREBOARDLAUNCH DATE USEFUL LIFE INCLINATION PICTURES TAKEN

TIROS I Apr. 1, 1960 2 1/2 months 18 degrees 22,952

TIROS II Nov. 23, 1960 10 months 48 degrees 36,156

TIROS III July 12, 1961 4 1/2 months 48 degrees 35,033

TIROS IV Feb. 8, 1962 4 1/2 months 48 degrees 32,593

T IROS V June 19, 1962 10 1/2 months 58 degrees 58,226

TIROS VI Sept. 18, 1962 13 months 58 degrees 66,674

TIROS VII June 19, 1963 Still Operating 58 degrees 114,960*

TIROS VIII Dec. 21, i963 Still Operating 58 degrees 83,285*Total APT picture4,067

TIROS IX Jan. 22, 1965 Still Operating 83.6 degreesretrograde 57,826*

*Total pictures 507,705As of June 25, 1965


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DELTA LAUNCH VEHICLE

The Delta project management plus launch operations isunder the direction of the Goddard Space Flight Center. TheDelta vehicle has the following general characteristics:

Height 90 feetMaximum diameter 8 feetLift-off weight about 57 tons

First Stage: Modified Air Force Thor, produced by DouglasAircraft Co., engines produced by RocketdyneDivision of North American Aviation.


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-14-Third Stare: Allegany Ballistics Laboratory x-258 motor.Fuel: Solid.Thrust: Approxim.ately 5,700 pounds.Burntngtime: 26 seconds.Weight: 576 pounds.

PROJECT OFFICIALS

NASA Headquarters:


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U. S. Weather Bureau:Dr. Robert M. White, ChLef of U.S. Weather BureauDavid S. Johnson, Director, National WeatherSatellite Center

Douglas Aircraft Co.Jack Kline, Director, Delta ProgramsMarcus F. Cooper, Director, Florida Test Center

Radio Corp. of America:


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TIROS

LEGENDAREA OF USABLE PHOTOS

AREA OF HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS

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