TIROS
METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITE
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FACT SHEET
THE TIROS SATELLITE
GENERAL:
The satellite was designed to obtain television pictures
of cloud formations and infra-red radiation measurements of
atmospheric heat balance over much of the world, and to trans-
mit the data from these experiments to ground stations for
analysis and operational and research 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 Canaveral1
Florida on a three stage Thor Delta vehicle.
Orbit: Approximately 400 miles altitude at an in-
clination of about 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.
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Controls:
When the payload is separated from the third
stage it will be spinning at about 126 r.p.m.
About ten minutes after separation a timer will
release 'a desnJn mechanism to slow the rotational
speed to about 12 r.p.m. This mechanism con-
sists of two weights attached to cables wound
around the satellite. As the weights unwind, they
slow the rate of spin and when completely unwound,
drop off automatically.
Tiros must maintain a spin rate of at least
9 r.p.m. to remain stable in orbit. When this
minimum is approached a pair of small solid fuel
rockets are fired which increases the speed to
about 13 r.p.m. There are five pairs of these
spin-up rockets and each pair can be fired only
once.
The satellite has an internal arrangement of
sliding weights to cancel any wobbling motion.
INFRARED RADIATION EXPERIMENTS:
LAUNCH VEHICLE
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Second State (Aerojet General):
Fuel: Liquid
Firing Sequence:
The first stage falls away on burnout. The second stage
ignites immediately. The nuae fairing which covers third
stage and payload is jettisoned after twenty seconds of second
stage burning. The third stage doesn't ignite until seven
minutes of coasting after second stage burnout. Then, the
third stage is spin stablized and the second stage falls away.
The third stage reaches an orbital velocity of almost 17,000
miles per hour.
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