Monday, February 1, 1999

Tiros 9

  1965-004A


Tiros IX was a third type of Tiros, a 'wheel' satellite where the two cameras were in the circumference of the cylinder rather than the base. The satellite spun so that the cameras scanned past the Earth on every revolution. The satellite was based on the Block I DMSP (Program 35) military weather satellite, but was larger in size. The Tiros IX payload was a protoype for the Tiros Operational Satellite system, which would be funded by the US Weather Bureau.

Tiros IX was launched at 0752 on 1965 Jan 22 from Cape Kennedy. The Delta C second stage made two dog-leg maneuvers as it flew up the Atlantic coast to increase the final orbital inclination to 96.4 degrees, the largest reached from Kennedy to that date. A 55 deg first stage yaw was followed by a 74 deg second stage left yaw, flight over Cuba and Panama, and third stage right yaw and pitch down. Intended first equator crossing was at 84W 0N. The final apogee of the orbit was much higher than intended. The planned orbit had been 640 x 640 km, but the actual initial orbit was 705 x 2582 km x 96.4 deg (by 1993 this was 701 x 2564 km). Nevertheless the satellite functioned well and operated until 1968 Jun 12.



Tiros 9 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1965 Jan 22  0752:00  Launch by Delta  CK LC17A 
 0753:30  Dogleg 1, 55 deg yaw right 
 0754:20  T+2:20 Thor 20009 MECO 
 0754:24  T+2:24 St 1 sep 
 0754:24  SES Delta S/N 20107 burn 2:55 
 0755:44 M+1:24 Fairing  
 0754:30 Dogleg 2, 74 deg yaw right 
 0757:20 Delta SECO M+179 
  T+10:19 Spinup 
 0804:45  M+10:25 Altair X-258C4 RH-79 burn 22.7s 
 0805:08  M+10:48 Altair burnout 
 0815? Altair sep 705 x 2582 x 96.4 
 0818? Yoyo weights reduce spin to 10 rpm 
  St 2 impact S Pacific 
1968 Jun 12   End of ops 

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