Today is the 53rd anniversary of the launch of TIROS-8, the 8th spacecraft in the Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite (or TIROS) program, which launched on December 21, 1963.
According to information from NASA, TIROS-8 was designed to deliver improved images of cloud cover and was the first satellite to be equipped with Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) capabilities. The APT experiment provided real-time earth-cloud pictures taken by the satellite to any properly equipped ground- receiving station. In addition to an APT camera system, the satellite carried one wide-angle TV camera. Pictures from the camera were transmitted directly or were stored in a tape recorder on board the spacecraft for subsequent playback, depending on whether the satellite was within or beyond communication range of either of two ground-receiving stations.
The spacecraft performed normally after launch, but the APT experiment was terminated by the end of April 1964 due to degradation of the APT camera. The wide-angle TV camera transmitted useful data until February 12, 1966. The satellite was deactivated on July 1, 1967.
For more information on the TIROS program, visit the NESDIS website.
For more information on TIROS-8, visit the NASA and World Meteorological Organization websites.
