Tiros Viii Press Kit

8/8/2019 Tiros Viii Press Kit

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NEWS RELEASENATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

400 MARYLAND AVENUE, SW, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20546

TELEPHONES: WORTH 2-4155 -------- WORrH3-.6925

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY P. 4.'s

December :1., 963

RELEAE., 110: 63-269

NEXT TIROS TO CARRY EXPERIiMEITTAL WEATIER CA1iERA

Another TIROS meteorological satellite, this one

carrying an experimental camera system designed to give

meteorologists instantaneous photographs of cloud pat-

terns, is scheduled for launching from Cape Kenne3dy, Fla.,

by the National Aeronautics and Space Adiainistration no

earlier than Dec. 17, 1963. If successful, this will be

the eighth successful launch. There have been no launch

failures in the TIROS program.

The new experimental camera subsystem, called Automatic

Picture Transmission (APT), is being tested for the first

time aboard this TIROS (Television Infrared Observation

Satellite) mneteorological satellite. This is in conjunction

with NASA's continuing research ar.d development program to

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provide meteorologists in all parts of the world1 with up-

to-the-minute cloud-cover pnotographs.

Designed for the polar-orb.ting Nimbus weather satellite,

the APT subsystem will undergo extensive qualification tests

aboard TIROS. Nimbus is scheduled for launching early next

year.

The APT subsybtem is relatively simple and inexpensive.

The initial six APT ground stations purchased by NASA cost

approximately $32,000 each. There will be approximately 40

U.S. APT stations participating in the TIROS test. Two ad-

ditional APT's have been purchased by foreign governments,

one by France and the other by the Internatioinal Indian

Ocean Expedition.

In addition to the APT camera subsystem, this TIROS

spacecraft will also include a TV camera similar to the one

flown on previous TIROS satellites.

The primary mission of this TIROS -- the eighth in the

series -- is to evaluate the APT camera subsystem; no infrared

experiment is included in this mission.

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The flight plan calls for the Delta launch vehicle

to head northeasterly from Florida. If all goes well, the

Delta will inject TIROS into a "L26 st-tute-mile circular

orbit just south of Newfoundland. The spacecraft will then

sweep down through the Mediterranean and swing into the

Indian Ocean with an angle of inclination to the equator of

58 degr.ees. The satellite will circle the world once eve:ry

97 minutes.

If the satellite achieves orbit, it will mark the

eighth success in1 eight attempts for TIROS and the twenty-first

consecutive success for Aiae oa's most reliable booster, Delta.

Since the launching of the first TIROS on April 1, 1960,

cameras in the seven TIROS satellites orbited so far have

taken 287,834 photographs (as of December 3, 1963), of which

more than 80 per cent were meteorologically useable.

The TIROS System

This TIROS spacecraft has the same basic design as earlier

TIROS satellites. It is a cylindrical 18-sided polygon, weigh-

n7 265 pounds, standing 22 inches high and measuring 42 inches

in decimeter.

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Power for the intricate subsystems housed inside the

weather-eye-in space comes from 9,200 solar cells. These

tiny space-age generators, when exposed to the sun's rays,

produce electrical power to recharge the satellite's 63

nickel-cadmium batteries.

An 18-inch receiving antenna protrudes from the top of

the spacecraft to receive commands from the ground stations.

Four 22-inch transmitting whip antennas jut from the base-

plate of the satellite. These equallyspaced antennas trans-

mit TV pictures and telemetry information concerning the

spacecraft temperature, pressure, battery charge levels,

spin rate and other "housekeeping" data.

Control and Stabilization

The control devices to orient and spin-stabilize the

spacecraft are similar to those used in earlier TIROS space-

craft. These stabilization and control subsystems include a

north indicator to determine the satellite's "north direction"

in each picture received, a horizon scanner and mechanisms

to maintain the satellite's in-flight stability and spin rate.

At separation, the spin-stabilized third stage of the

launch vehicle spins the spacecraft at approximately 120 rpm.

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To reduce this spin rate to the optimum rate of 12 rpm

shortly after satellite separation, a timer triggers two

weights attadhed to cables wrapped around the satellite. As

the weights uncoil, they de-spin or slow the circular move-

ment of the satellite to satisfactory operating conditions.

The cables and weights automatically drop away from the

satellite when they have completely unwound.

To remain stable in orbit, TIROS requires a minimum

spin rate ofeight rpm. When this minimum occurs, a radio

command from the ground firer a pair of small solid-fuel

rockets on the rim of the baseplate. Five pairs of these

firecracker-size rockets are provided. Each pair can increase

the spin rate by about three rpm.

Recording Television Subsystem

As in previous TIROS missiorn this camera subsystem consists

primarily of a TV camera and circuitry for magnetic tape

recording and TV transmission.

The camera, with a 104-degree lens, can transmit photo-

graphs directty to a TIROS Command Data Acquisition Station,

or store the photos on a tape recorder for read-out when the

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spacecraft passes wuithin a 1,500 mle radius of a

ground station. TV pLcturcs transmitted. from the satellite

are reconstructed on special 1:inescopes at the ground station

and are photo~praphCd by 35mm cameras.

The TV tube is a 500-sca-n line, half-Linch vidcicon

which permits a two-second scan time. Up to 32 pictures

can be recorded and stored during each orbit. Transmission

time takes about three minutes and begins when the satellite

receives a radio cominand from a ground station.

The TIROS r-round stations are NASA's Wallops Island

Station in Va.; Fairbanks, Alaska; and Point Mugu, Calif.

The Fairbanks Station, newest in the TIROS tracking network,

became operational Sept., 1963, and has received photographs

from both the TIROS VI and VII satellites.

APT Camera Subsystem

Unlike the television subsystem carried in the early

TIROS satellites, APT transmits pictures on the slow-scan

principle similar to that used to send radio photographs.

Meteorologists can observe cloud-cover photographs of their

area as the image forms on the facsimile machine at their

station. Each APT ground station can receive, depending on the

satellite's elevation angle, up to three photographs during one

pass. The satellite must be within a 1,500 miles radius of the

station for transmission. A complete photo cycle takes 208

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Four major elements make up the APT subsystem in the

spacecraft: the sensory housing ;vhich contains the camera,

vidicon and vidicon electronics; a video electronics module

consisting of a video detector and timing and switching

circuitry; power converters; and an FI transmitter. The

entire subsystem weighs only 24 pounds.

The 108-degree lens used in the APT system is a 5.7mm

f/1.8 Tegea Kinoptic which can photograph an area of approxi-

mately 820 miles on a side (672,400 square miles) when the

satellite is looking directly toward the earth. A three

millisecond exposure of the electromagnetic shutter produces

an 800-scan-line picture on the photo-sensitive surface of a

special one-inch diameter vidicon. A television picture

viewed on a standard TV set produces a 525-line resolution.

A timer in the APT subsystem programs the equipment for

continuous cycles of prepare, expose, develop, and direct-

readout for approximately 30 minutes of each orbit. This

prepare, expose and develop cycle takes place the first eight

seconds of each 208-second picture cycle. The remaining 200

seconds is used to read out the photograph at a scan rate of

four lines per second.

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Although the vidicon used in the APT subsystem resembles

the TV vidicon, a polystyrene layer is added to provide extended

image storage capability. The image is projected on a pre-

pared photoconductive layer, and then transferred by potential

change to the storage layer for readout.

APT Ground Stations

Simplicity in the APT system makes it extremely appealing

to meteorologists. A typical ground station consists of a

manually tracked 13 db helix antenna, a commercially available

radio receiver, and a standard photo facsimile machine. A

five watt transmitter broadcasts the signal from the spacecraft

to the ground in the 136 Me space telemetry band. Spacecraft

frequencies, using the FM bandwidth, make a large variety of

standard mobile communication equipment adaptable. The 800

Line resolution and 0.25 second scanning timer per line are

compatible with standard 240 rpm facsimile equipment.

Test Procedures

For approximately two or three days after launch, only

seven key stations will participate in the evaluation of the

APT system. These sites are:

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

RCA's Astro-Electronic Products Division, Princeton, N.J.

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NASA's Wallops Island Station, Wallops Island, Va.

U.S. Weather Bureau, Suitland, Md.

U.S. Army Electronics R & D Laboratory, Ft. Monmouth, N.J.

Fairchild Stratos Corp., Bayshore, Long Island, N.Y.

Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory, Hanscom Field, Mass.

This series of tests will be conducted in two phases.

During the first phase, NASA scientists and engineers will be

interested primarily in the initial engineering checkout of

the APT system. The first phase will continue until it has

been determined that APT photographs can be acquired and pro-

cessed by the APT network.

The engineering evaluation will continue during phase

two, but will also include an operational evaluation of the

total system with all of the world-wide APT station being

programmed for cloud photographs.

To acquaint personnel at each station with the tracking

techniques of a TIROS satellite, simulated (TIEDS '[II) weekly

TIROS APT alert and orbital position predictive data were

mailed to APT stations November 25, 1963. These messages

provided data in the exact format to be used on the next

TIROS. Station managers could then compute the TIROS VII position

in orbit and actually track the 136&Mc beacons on the space-

craft to simulate the upcoming TIROS orbit.

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Prior to launch, the APT ground stations will receive

nominal data on the TIROS orbit. If this TIROS achieves

orbit, each station will receive, on a daily basis, the

latest orbital data of the satellite prepared at the Goddard

Space Flight Center and distributed through the U.S. Weather

Bureau and World Meteorological (09IO) Organization network.

After each orbit, stations participating will fill out

a detailed report on the performance of the APT system, both

airborne and ground. This information will be forwarded to

the Goddard Space Flight Center for analysis and evaluation.

The Delta Launch Vehicle

TIROS will journey into space atop the 90-foot, 57-ton,

three-stage Delta launch vehicle. The Delta has logged a

record unique in American rocketry. The slender-white rocket

netted its 20th straight success Nov. 26, 1963.

The first stage of Delta, built by the Douglas Aircraft

Company, is the DM-21 Thor, a 57-foot, liquid-fueled vehicle

developed as an IRBM for the U.S. Air Force. The DM-21 pro-

duces 170,000 pounds of thrust during its 2- minute burning

time.

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The second stage, a liquid-fueled rocket produced by

Acrojet General Corporation, burns for approximately 160

seconds With a 7,500 pound-thrust engine.

Deltats third stage, produced by the Naval Propellant

Plant, is an NPP-X-2248 solid-fueled vehicle. Its 3,000-pound

thrust engine bumns about 40 seconds.

Flight sequence for Delta is as follows: The first

stage falls away from the upper stages after burnout and the

second stage lights-off immediately.

Approximately 30 seconds after second stage ignition,

protective nose fairing housing the third stage and space-

craft automatically jettison. A six-minute coast period starts

after second stage burnout. Then, the third stage is spin

stabilized, the second stage drops off, and the third stage

ignites powering the vehicle to orbital velocity ofabout 17,000

miles per hour. Third stage separation occurs and the TIROS

spacecraft is injected into orbit.

Delta program management is the responsibility of the

Office of Space Science and Applications, NASA Headquarters.

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The Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., is

charged with project management for the Delta program.

Douglas Aircraft Company, Santa Monica, Calif. is the prime

contractor for Delta.

TIROS Record

On April 1, 1960, the United States unveiled a new

tool to measure the world's weather conditions and it was

called TIROS. For the first time meteorologists got a "quick

look", with little delay, of cloud formations above various

parts of the world.

TIROS satellites have spotted most major tropical storms

in the Atlantic and Pacific in the past three-years -- in many

cases before other means of weather observations detected the

aumospheric disturbance.

TIROS VII, placed into orbit June 19, 1963, continues to

supply meteorologists with weather data.

In October of 1963, after a record 13 months of successful

operation, TIROS VI stopped sending useable cloud-cover pictures.

In its 13 months of successful operation, TIROS VI, along with

TIROS V, supported the flights of Astronauts Walter Schirra

and Gordon Cooper. TIROS VI detected sand storms in Saudi

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Arabia; ice conditions in southern and northern hemispheres;

1o hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms; and about 300

weather advisories to countries all over the world were

issued based on some of the 63,000 cloud-cover pictures

sent back to earth from the satellite. Although the satellite=

continues to transmit photographs, a malfunction in the focus

current regulator is causing picture distortion.

Original life expectancy for TIROS was expected to be

about three or four mcnths. However, all but TIROS I

exceeded this life span. TIROS I operated 22 months, TIROS II,

10 months, TIROS III, and IV, 41 months, TIROS V, 101 months

and TIROS VI, 13 months,

Information from TIR03 III gave advance warning of

Hurricane Carla in September, 1961, making it possible for

more than 350,000 to flee the path of' the storm. A relatively

small number of deaths were attributable to Carla as it swept

across the country.

Project Officials

Key officials responsible for the TIROS program are:

NASA Headquarters

Dr. Homer E. Newell, Associate Administrator for SpaceScience and Applications.

Robert F. Garbarini, Director of Applications.

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Dr. Morris Tepper, Director of the Meteorological

Programs Division.

II. . Garbacz, Program Manager (Acting), MeteorologicalFlight Projects.

Dr. Richard B. Morrison, Director of Launch Vehicle &

Propulsion Programs Rev.

T. B. Norris, Delta Program Manager.

Goddard Space Flight Center

Dr. Harry J. Goett, Director.

J. W. Towsend Jr., Assistant Director, Space Sciences &

Satellite Applications.

Williaam G. Stroud, Chief, Aeronomy & Meteorology Division.

Herbert . Butler, Associate Chief for Projects, Aeronomy

& Meteorology Division,

Robert M. Rados, TIROS Project Manager.

William R. Schindler, Delta Project Manager.

Robert M. Gray, Chief, Goddard Launch Operations, CapeKennedy, Fla.

Radio Corporation of America

Tbraham Schnapf, TIROS Program Manager, Astro-Electronic-.Division.

Douglas Aircraft Company

Garry F, Hanson, Field Station Manager, JFKSC, Missileand Space System Division.

U.S. Weather Bureau

Dr. S. Fred Singer, Director of 1,eteorological SatelliteActivities.

David S. Johnson, Deputy Director, National Weather SatelliteCenter.

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APT Ground Stat;ions

Air Force Stations Weather Bureau Stations

Hanscom Field, Bedford, Mass. Honolulu, Hawaii

Vandenburg AFB, Calif. Anchorage, AlaskaWestover AFB, Mass. Chicago, Ill.Offutt AFB, Nebraska Seattle, Wash.Colorado Springs AFB, Colo. San Francisco, Calif.Torrejon AFB, Madrid, Spain Kansas City, Ms1o.

Fuchu AFB, Japan San Juan, Puerto RicoHigh Wycombe, England Miami, Fla.Ramstein AB, Germany New Orleans, La.Kadena, Okinawa Idlewild Field, N.Y.Elmendorf, Alrc-ska Boston, Mass.Langley AFB, Virginia Washington, D.C. (Suitland, id.)KuniaCamp, Hawaii

Kindley AFB, Bermuda InternationalLajes Field, AzoresClark AB, Phillipines FranceAdana, Turkey International Indian Ocean

Expedit.IonArmy Station

Ft. Monmouth, N.J.

Navy Stations

McMurdo Sound

Christchurch, New ZealandAgana, GuamSan Diego, Calif.

NASA Stations

Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Nd.TIROS CDA, Gilmore Creek, AlaskaTIROS CDA, Wallops Station, Va.TIROS CDA, Pt. Mugu, Calif.TIROS CDA, Princeton, N.J. (RCA)Fairchild, Bay Shore, L.I., N.Y.

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Tiros Viii Press Kit