TIROS-2

TIROS-2 (or TIROS-B) was a spin-stabilized meteorological satellite. It was the second in a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites. It re-entered in May 2014.^[5]

TIROS-2

TIROS-2 before launch
Mission type	Weather satellite
Operator	NASA[1]
Harvard designation	1960 Pi 1
COSPAR ID	1960-016A
SATCAT no.	63
Mission duration	376 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	TIROS
Manufacturer	RCA Astro GSFC
Launch mass	127 kilograms (280 lb)[2]
Start of mission
Launch date	November 23, 1960, 11:13:03 (1960-11-23UTC11:13:03Z) UTC[3]
Rocket	Thor DM-19 Delta
Launch site	Cape Canaveral LC-17A
End of mission
Last contact	December 4, 1961 (1961-12-05)
Decay date	May 2014
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Semi-major axis	6,755.43 kilometers (4,197.63 mi)
Eccentricity	0.0014596
Perigee altitude	374 kilometers (232 mi)
Apogee altitude	394 kilometers (245 mi)
Inclination	48.51 degrees
Period	92.09 minutes
Epoch	December 8, 2013, 11:58:18 UTC[4]
Instruments
Widefield Radiometer Scanning Radiometer Television Camera System
TIROS ← TIROS-1 TIROS-3 →

Spacecraft

TIROS-2 was an 18-sided right prism, 107 cm in diameter and 56 cm high,^[2] with 9,260^[1] 1 by 2 cm silicon solar cells covered the top and sides. Five small directly opposed pairs of solid-fuel thrusters maintained a spin of 8 to 12 rpm.^[2] For attitude control, the spacecraft used an infrared horizon sensor^[1] and a magnetic attitude control device, made of 250 cores of wire wound around the outer surface, which oriented the spin axis to a 1 to 2 degree accuracy.^[2] It also had a direction indicator for picture orientation.^[1]

The satellite had two independent television camera subsystems, one low-resolution and one high-resolution, for taking pictures of cloud cover. Each camera had a magnetic tape recorder for storing photographs while out of range of the ground station network.^[1] It also had a five-channel medium-resolution scanning radiometer and a two channel non-scanning low resolution radiometer for measuring radiation from the earth and atmosphere.^[2]

Launch

TIROS-2 was launched on November 23, 1960 at 11:13:03 UTC, by a Thor-Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft functioned nominally until January 22, 1962. The satellite orbited the Earth once every 98 minutes, at an inclination of 48.5°. Its perigee was 609 kilometers (329 nmi) and apogee was 742 kilometers (401 nmi).

The spacecraft functioned nominally until January 22, 1961.

Instruments

TIROS 2 added two infrared radiometers to TIROS 1 instruments, which allowed more analysis of frontal zones.^[6]

Gallery

• 
  Graphic of TIROS-2 orbital path and examples of data products.
• 
  TIROS-2 satellite atop of a Delta rocket during a mock countdown on Pad 17A
• 
  TIROS-2 satellite atop of launch vehicle, under hangar roof
• 
  Launch of TIROS-2 on November 23, 1960
• Universal Newsreel about the launching of the TIROS-2 satellite
• 
  Ice floes as seen in Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence by TIROS-2 in March 1961
• 
  Map of TIROS II infrared imagery with accompanying cloud analysis