NOAA-1

{{Infobox spaceflight

| name = NOAA-1

| image = NOAA-1 (ITOS-A).jpg

| image_caption = Illustration of the NOAA-1 (ITOS-A) meteorological satellite

| mission_type = Weather

| operator = NOAA

| website =

| COSPAR_ID = 1974-106A

| SATCAT = 04793

| mission_duration =

| spacecraft_bus =

| manufacturer = RCA Astro

| dry_mass =

| launch_mass = {{convert|306|kg|lb}}

| launch_date = {{start date text|December 11, 1970, 11:35|timezone=yes}} UTC{{cite web|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt|title=Launch Log|first=Jonathan|last=McDowell|work=Jonathan's Space Page|access-date=June 6, 2018}}

| launch_rocket = Delta-N6

| launch_site = Vandenberg SLC-2W

| launch_contractor =

| entered_service =

| disposal_type =

| deactivated = {{end date text|August 19, 1971}}

| decay_date =

| orbit_epoch = December 11, 1970

| orbit_reference = Geocentric

| orbit_regime = Sun-synchronous

| orbit_periapsis = {{convert|1422|km|mi|sp=us}}

| orbit_apoapsis = {{convert|1472|km|mi|sp=us}}

| orbit_inclination = 101.9 degrees

| orbit_period = 114.8 minutes

| orbit_eccentricity = 0.00319

| apsis = gee

| instruments = APT, AVCS, FPR, SPME, SR

| programme = ITOS

| previous_mission = TIROS-M

| next_mission = ITOS-B

}}

NOAA-1, also known as ITOS-A was a weather satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).{{Cite web |title=WMO OSCAR {{!}} Satellite: NOAA-1 |url=https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/noaa_1 |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=space.oscar.wmo.int}} It was part of a series of satellites called ITOS, or improved TIROS.{{cite encyclopedia|last=Wade|first=Mark|title=ITOS|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Astronautica|url=http://www.astronautix.com/craft/itos.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020621225655/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/itos.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 21, 2002|access-date=June 7, 2018}}

NOAA-1 was launched on a Delta rocket on December 11, 1970. The launch carried one other satellite: CEP 1. It was deactivated by NOAA on August 19, 1971.

Details

File:ITOS NOAA Musee du Bourget P1020354.JPG]]

The NOAA 1 sun-synchronous meteorological satellite was primarily designed to enhance the operational capability of infrared and visual observations of Earth's cloud cover, facilitating weather analysis and forecasting. Additionally, the satellite was tasked with regularly collecting solar proton data and monitoring global heat balance.{{Cite web |title=NOAA 1 |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1970-106A |website=NASA - NSSDCA}}

To achieve these objectives, NOAA 1 was equipped with four cameras: two television cameras for Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) and two Advanced Vidicon Camera System (AVCS) cameras. The satellite also featured a low-resolution flat plate radiometer, a solar proton monitor, and two scanning radiometers. These radiometers not only measured emitted infrared radiation but also served as backup systems for the APT and AVCS cameras.

The spacecraft had a nearly cubical structure, measuring 1 by 1 by 1.2 meters. The TV cameras and infrared sensors were mounted on the baseplate, oriented vertically towards Earth. The satellite was powered by three curved solar panels, which were folded during launch and deployed upon reaching orbit. When fully extended, each panel measured over 4.2 meters in length and was covered with 3,420 solar cells, each 2 by 2 centimeters in size.

NOAA 1's attitude control system utilized gyroscopic principles to maintain the desired orientation. The satellite's Earth-facing orientation was stabilized using precession induced by a momentum flywheel, achieving one revolution per orbit to maintain the correct attitude. Minor adjustments were made using magnetic coils and by varying the speed of the momentum flywheel.File:NOAA 1 (ITOS -A) lifts off on Launch Vehicle Delta 81.jpgLaunched into a near-polar orbit, NOAA 1 and its subsystems operated normally until May 29, 1971, when the incremental tape recorder malfunctioned, leading to a partial loss of solar proton data and a total loss of flat plate radiometer data. In response to overheating in the attitude control system, the APT and Direct Readout InfraRed (DRIR) subsystems were deactivated on June 20, 1971. The AVCS was subsequently turned off, and the scanning radiometer continued to function partially until the satellite was fully deactivated on August 19, 1971.

References

External links

[http://www.n2yo.com/?s=4793 Live Real Time Satellite Tracking and Predictions: NOAA 1]. n2yo.com

Category:1970 in spaceflight

Category:Weather satellites of the United States

Category:Spacecraft launched in 1970

Category:Television Infrared Observation Satellites