Exactly 64 years ago today, April 1, NASA launched America's first weather satellite, TIROS-1, which observed Earth from space for just 78 days before a power outage interrupted its mission.
On April 1, 1960, the United States launched its first weather satellite, the Television Infrared Observing Satellite, TIROS-1, which was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on a Thor-Able launch vehicle. Once the satellite was able to reach polar orbit, it was allowed to see the entire globe. The satellite is equipped with television cameras and video recorders that transmit images of ground clouds directly to ground stations.
This is the mission Enable the first accurate weather forecast Based on data and images from space. It also showed scientists that satellites could be useful tools for studying the Earth. Unfortunately, its mission was very short-lived due to a technical error and it has been orbiting the planet ever since. Its successor, TIROS-2, was launched on November 23, 1960, and served for just over a year.
