TIROS was launched in 1960,
"the first series of meteorological
satellites to carry television cameras to photograph the Earth's cloud
cover and demonstrate
the value of using spacecraft for meteorological research and weather
forecasting. The first
TIROS was launched in 1960 and returned data that showed a large degree
of organization
within the cloud cover over the Earth."
"...for the first time in history, humans were given a synoptic view of
the weather" (Dickson Out of this world [TR713 .D5 1977 pg 5])