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50th Anniversary of the Satellite that "Forever Changed Weather Forecasting" (Forwarded)



 
 
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Old April 2nd 10, 12:53 AM posted to sci.space.news
Andrew Yee[_1_]
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Default 50th Anniversary of the Satellite that "Forever Changed Weather Forecasting" (Forwarded)

NOAA
Washington, D.C.

Media Contact:
John Leslie, 301-713-2087

April 1, 2010

50th Anniversary of the Satellite that "Forever Changed Weather Forecasting"

NOAA-NASA Partnership Fostering Better Understanding Of Our Changing Planet

Fifty years ago today, the world's first weather satellite lifted off from
Cape Canaveral, Fla., and opened a new and exciting dimension in weather
forecasting. Top leaders from NOAA and NASA hailed the milestone as an
example of their agencies' strong partnership and commitment to flying the
best satellites today and beyond.

The first image from the satellite, known as TIROS-1 (Television Infrared
Observation Satellite), was a fuzzy picture of thick bands and clusters of
clouds over the United States. An image captured a few days later revealed a
typhoon about a 1,000 miles east of Australia. TIROS-1, a polar-orbiting
satellite, weighed 270 pounds and carried two cameras and two video
recorders. Though the satellite only lasted 78 days, its impact is still
visible today.

"This satellite forever changed weather forecasting," said Jane Lubchenco,
Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA
administrator. "Since TIROS-1, meteorologists have far greater information
about severe weather and can issue more accurate forecasts and warnings that
save lives and protect property."

"TIROS-1 started the satellite observations and interagency collaborations
that produced vast improvements in weather forecasts," said NASA
Administrator Charles F. Bolden, Jr. "It also laid the foundation for our
current global view of Earth that underlies all of climate research and the
field of Earth system science."

Throughout the 1960s, each TIROS spacecraft carried increasingly advanced
instruments and technology. By 1965, meteorologists combined 450 TIROS
images into the first global view of the world's weather.

In 1975, the first Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)
was launched 22,300 miles into space. Its ability to orbit in sync with the
Earth's rotation, combined with the polar-orbiting satellites enhanced
NOAA's forecasting.

"We could not provide skillful hurricane forecasts without the crucial
imagery and data from geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites," said
Chris Landsea, Ph.D., science operations officer at NOAA's National
Hurricane Center in Miami. "Before satellites, tropical storms and
hurricanes were often missed if they stayed out over the open ocean."

When the more advanced TIROS-N satellite series were launched between 1978
and 1981, the name of the spacecraft changed to Polar-orbiting Operational
Environmental Satellites, or POES. The POES orbit the Earth at an altitude
of about 500 miles and circle the poles once every 102 minutes.

With continued improvements of the instruments and technology, the
satellites began giving scientists the ability to track changes in climate
-- from the subtle onset of drought and its impacts on vegetation, to
monitoring global sea-surface temperatures that signal atmospheric
phenomena, such as El Nino and La Nina.

"Securing critical climate data records from the advanced sensors flying on
NOAA satellites helps us understand the Earth's changing climate," said Tom
Karl, who heads the emerging NOAA Climate Service. "For 50 years, NOAA
satellites have advanced our ability to monitor the Earth's climate and will
continue to provide critical data in the years to come."

The last of the TIROS satellites (now known as POES), launched from
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2009. This satellite (NOAA-19)
and its compliment, a European satellite called Metop-A, provide a complete
picture of the globe every six hours.

A Look to the Future

NOAA operates America's constellation of environmental satellites -- the
GOES and POES. Both satellites monitor weather and collect data about the
Earth's climate, and are capable of receiving distress signals from
emergency beacons and relaying this information to first responders
worldwide. Since 1982, NOAA satellites have aided in the rescue of 250
people on average each year. NOAA satellites also receive signals from
remote observation instruments on the Earth including ocean buoys, which
provide tsunami warnings.

Through the NOAA-NASA partnership, another polar-orbiting satellite called
the National Polar-orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS)
Preparatory Project is scheduled to launch in late 2011. On February 1,
2010, the White House announced NPOESS, a tri-agency effort between NOAA,
NASA and the Department of Defense, would be restructured. The NOAA-NASA
team will build, launch and operate two more polar satellites under the
Joint Polar Satellite System. The satellites, planned to launch 2015 and
2017, will handle the afternoon orbit and provide vital information on
climate and weather.

NOAA and NASA are also working to launch the next generation GOES-R series
of satellites, beginning in 2015. These spacecraft will have four times the
clarity of today's GOES and provide more than 20 times the information.

"For the next 50 years, we're ensuring that NOAA satellites will always be
ready to provide the imagery and data scientists, the U.S. and the world
have come to rely on," said Mary Kicza, assistant administrator for NOAA's
Satellite and Information Service.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the
depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our
coastal and marine resources.

[NOTE: Images supporting this release are available at
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories...401_tiros.html ]

 




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