NASA Spacecraft Set to Measure Carbon Dioxide Production Launches
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Image Credit: NASA/Air Force 30th Space Wing(LOMPOC, Calif.) — NASA launched its Orbiting Carbon Observatory into the atmosphere on Wednesday morning in an effort to provide new data on how the planet adjusts to increasing levels of carbon dioxide production.
According to NASA, “while ground stations have been monitoring carbon dioxide concentrations, OCO-2 will be the first spacecraft to conduct a global scale reading over several seasons.” Among other things, OCO-2 is expected to provide detailed readings related to regional sources and sinks of carbon dioxide.
The craft was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California so that it could enter a polar orbit — one that allows it to cross over both Arctic and Antarctic regions during each revolution, and thereby getting a full picture of Earth.
OCO-2 is expected to fly about 438 miles above the Earth’s surface and represents the first project of its kind.
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