The Improved TIROS Operational Satellite (ITOS) was the second generation of NOAA operational polar orbiting spacecraft. This series served the nation's environmental needs from October 1972, until March 1979. The third generation polar system, TIROS-N, carried into space new environmental instruments which are major technological advances over ITOS. Specifically these new capabilities include: (1) Higher resolution, cloud cover observations on a local and global scale; (2) Improved observations of vertical temperature and water vapor profiles on a global scale; and (3) First operations flight of a high capacity data collection and platform location system. TIROS-N was launched on October 13, 1978, and is the current NOAA operational polar orbiting satellite. The second of this dual satellite system, NOAA-A, is scheduled for launch in May 1979. It will be designated NOAA-6 once in orbit. This paper discusses the Tiros-N/NOAA-A spacecraft, instrument payload, and the ground data processing and handling system operated by NOAA.
The TIROS-N/NOAA Operational Satellite System
1979
42 pages
Report
No indication
English
TOSS -- Tiros operational satellite system
Engineering Index Backfile | 1963
|The Improved Tiros Operational Satellite
NTIS | 1968
|The TIROS-N/NOAA A-G Satellite Series
NTIS | 1978
|Improved TIROS operational satellite (ITOS-F)
NTIS | 1973