Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
3.2.2.1.
The development phases of meteorological remote sensing
The first benefits associated with meteorological remote sensing date back to the
end of the Second World War. In 1947 the Americans converted V2 rockets into
measurement devices and optical cameras. The first photographs of cloud systems
date back to this period. The cameras were taken to an altitude of 110-165 km from
where the photographs were taken. Although these devices were not similar to the
satellites that exist today, their observations made it possible to study and analyze
the complexity of cloud systems (during the era of Norwegian frontology). The use
of these devices also showed that it was important to have a global view of such
systems.
The dawning of the meteorological remote sensing era really began after the
launch of Sputnik (October 1957) and the creation of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) in March 1958, after it launched its first satellite
known as First Earth Radiation Experiment. The most important date in the history
of meteorological remote sensing is the April 1, 1960. On this date the Television
and Infrared Operating System (TIROS-1) was launched. TIROS-1 was the first real
meteorological satellite that showed the complexity and importance of the satellite
approach and the need for international co-operation and the development of a
global approach in order to monitor the Earth's atmosphere. In December 1962,
with the support of the United Nations (UN), the World Weather Watch (under the
guise of the WMO) and Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP) were
created.
The 1960s saw the creation of the first generation of TIROS orbiting satellites.
These were 10 similar satellites, which were in use until 1965 and orbited the Earth
at an angle of 48° to 58° from the Equator, focusing on low and middle-range
latitudes. The Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) was also
created in the 1960s. The nine ESSA satellites, which were launched between 1966
and 1969, had almost polar orbits and they recorded information from the poles. All
of these satellites showed the operational feasibility of the satellites' sensors, of the
satellites' Automatic Picture Transmissions (APT) systems, and of their on-board
storage (data that was gathered on land in the states of Virginia and Alaska in the
USA). Regarding Russia, the first meteorological satellite, COSMOS-122, was
launched in 1966, and in 1969 METEOR-1 was launched. METEOR-1 was the first
operational satellite to be equipped with an observation TV on board.
The 1970s was a decade of development and building on the meteorological
observation systems that were created in the 1960s. Despite global economic
difficulties, the Apollo missions launched by NASA made it possible to develop
new, and more operational programs. It should be pointed out that geostationary
platforms were also developed in the 1970s, with the launch of GOES-1 in 1974,
followed by METEOSAT-1 and GMS-1 in 1977. A second generation of orbiting
satellites was born with the arrival of the Improved Tiros Operational System
(ITOS), which was launched in January 1970. ITOS was made up of a double
transmission system (APT + storage) and could take images with resolutions that
