TIROS-1 was the World's first ever weather satellite and was sent up in the hope it may help hurricane detection work back on earth. Vanguard 2 did take several pictures of clouds earlier. The optical scanner experiment was designed to obtain cloud-cover data between the equator and 35° to 45° N latitude. It is to be noted that modern services like Google Maps, hurricane tracking services and satellite TV all owe a debt to these early satellites.