Space Rocket History #20 – Tiros 1 and Echo 1 – The First Weather and Communications Satellites

“Who can say what contraption the future will bring?
There can be not a doubt, some more wonderful thing.

And if anyone ventures the future to scan,
Why indeed should it not be your old Weather Man?

Have you noticed how often in times that are past
We have used new inventions to improve the forecast?

Television is coming, it is not far away;
We’ll be using that too in a not distant day.

Photographs will be made by the infra red light
That will show us the clouds both by day and by night.

From an altitude high in the clear stratosphere
Will come pictures of storms raging far if not near

Revealing in detail across many States
The conditions of weather affecting our fates….” By George Mindling (Weather Bureau), 1939

Thor-Able

TIROS -1

First Picture From TIROS-1

Echo-1

Echo-1 Mockup

2 thoughts on “Space Rocket History #20 – Tiros 1 and Echo 1 – The First Weather and Communications Satellites”

Greetings from Florida, where we don’t have foothills.

Thanks for a wonderful podcast series, and I’m looking forward to this one, the first where I remember these events and satellites from my childhood. The NY Times had a little (maybe one inch) notice daily of when Echo would be visible in the night sky and where to look. The notice was on a page where they’d also have a notice with arrivals and departures of passenger and freight ships.

I recommended your podcast to a ‘net friend in Australia (he’s a heavy listener of podcasts) and he’s enjoying them as well.

Thanks again, and if no one’s told you today that you do good work, let me be the first.

spac9750 on July 14, 2013 at 9:38 am said:

Thanks for the encouragement MikeinFL. I am glad you are enjoying the podcast. I love to hear the personal memories of space flight. Thanks for sharing.

Mike