Environmental Science Services Administration
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The Environmental Science Services Administration was a satellite program launched by NASA in 1958, ending with the decommissioning of its last satellite in 1977. ESSA was a precursor to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and served as a compliment to the The Television Infrared Observation Satellite Program (TIROS).
[edit] Function
As a compliment to the TIROS program, ESSA managed the first operational United States polar-orbiting weather satellite system, known as the Television Infrared Observation Satellite Program (TIROS). These satellites, known as TIROS 1-10, were the first generation of American weather satellites. These early satellites carried low resolution television and infrared cameras. Designed mainly to test the feaseability of weather satellites, TIROS proved to be extremely successful, and paved the way for the later project called the TIROS Operational System (TOS).
[edit] Tiros Operational System
The TOS project officially began with the launch of ESSA-1 on February 3, 1966[1]. The ESSA program launched nine satellites from 1966 to 1969, each named with ESSA followed by a number from 1 - 9.
