NASA launches climate change spacecraft
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 07/02/2014 11:33 AM
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NASA's most advanced spacecraft, which will study the causes of climate change, was launched today and is headed for a near-polar operational orbit some 438 miles above Earth. The two year study will identify sources and pockets of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The space agency said: The advanced atmospheric observatory has also "established communications with ground controllers and unfurled its twin sets of solar arrays. Initial telemetry shows the spacecraft is in excellent condition."
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said: "Climate change is the challenge of our generation. With OCO-2 and our existing fleet of satellites, NASA is uniquely qualified to take on the challenge of documenting and understanding these changes, predicting the ramifications, and sharing information about these changes for the benefit of society."
"OCO-2 will produce exquisitely precise measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations near Earth's surface, laying the foundation for informed policy decisions on how to adapt to and reduce future climate change."
The space agency said: The advanced atmospheric observatory has also "established communications with ground controllers and unfurled its twin sets of solar arrays. Initial telemetry shows the spacecraft is in excellent condition."
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said: "Climate change is the challenge of our generation. With OCO-2 and our existing fleet of satellites, NASA is uniquely qualified to take on the challenge of documenting and understanding these changes, predicting the ramifications, and sharing information about these changes for the benefit of society."
"OCO-2 will produce exquisitely precise measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations near Earth's surface, laying the foundation for informed policy decisions on how to adapt to and reduce future climate change."
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