May 13 1998
From The Space Library
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched into orbit, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a new weather satellite, the NOAA-K, aboard a 34-year old converted Titan II nuclear missile. The satellite was an Advanced Television Infrared Observation Satellite (Tiros-N) weather satellite, able to see inside clouds, a feature that scientists expected would greatly increase our knowledge of how hurricanes develop and move. The Tiros-N was the latest model of TIROS satellite in four generations. Lockheed Martin had last built a TIROS satellite for NASA and NOAA in 1960. After the launch of the Tiros-N, the satellite would undergo a series of tests by NASA, followed by a round of tests by NOAA, before becoming fully available in time for next year's hurricane season.
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