TIROS

A series of Television InfraRed Observation Satellites that demonstrated the feasibility and capability of observing the cloud cover and weather patterns of earth from space. An experimental program, it was the first spaceborne system that allowed meteorologists to acquire information that was immediately put to use in an operational setting. The first U.S. weather satellite, TIROS I, was launched on April 1, 1960, and TIROS X, the last of the series, was launched on July 2, 1965.