View
1.675
Download
4
Category
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
Citation preview
Presented by: Louie D’Amico
April 1st, 1960Launching of the first weather satellite
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?
Research Question
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
Launching 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
What was the first weather satellite?
“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
Who built this thing?
Lavelle helped outIn 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
Lavelle Aircraft’s factory was in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Guess What!
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…
What did the first weather satellite do?
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
…Was it a spy satellite?
What Sputnik-1 looked like
What Americans thought it looked like
America
lasers
Was TIROS-1’s underlying objective to spy on Soviets?
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
August 17, 1960The 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
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
Now back to the weather…
TIROS-1 videoStart at 1:24
http://en.sevenload.com/shows/NASA-Goddard-Shorts/episodes/bd2PPf3-TIROS-1-The-Forecast-Revolution-Begins
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
Now that you’ve all waken up…
What’s this…?
“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
…a hurricane
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
Why does this matter?
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
So what?
A look at life after the first weather satellite.
The First one worked…now what?
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
Modern POES- TIROS-NLaunched 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
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
Modern GOES- GOES-NNewest geostationary satellite in orbit
Monitor weather patterns
Provide information on environmental “triggers” for sever weather
Congestion in the parking lotThe band around the Equator is know as the “Satellite parking
lot
It is filling up
All communication and TV satellites are Geostationary
A couple more huge breakthroughs
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
Emergency BeaconsAlso 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
Answering the Research QuestionQ: 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.
THE END
Bibliographyhttp://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
Recommended