NASA is preparing to launch its first satellite dedicated to the study of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, a key factor in climate change.Launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, is scheduled for 4:51 a.m. EST Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, aboard an Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket. Another attempt may be possible four minutes later.
Today at noon Eastern time, you can watch a pre-launch press briefing about the two-year, $273.4-million mission live here on The Flame Trench.
Just click on the NASA TV image at right to launch a viewer.
NASA says the 972-pound spacecraft will provide the first comprehensive picture of the distribution and seasonal variation of atmospheric CO2, from both natural and human sources. It will also identify places where CO2 is being absorbed, called "sinks." A new map will be produced every 16 days.
The mission's findings will help inform models about changing carbon dioxide levels and how they might impact on Earth's climate.
The launch is supported by NASA's Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center.
It is NASA's first launch on the 95-foot Taurus rocket, a variation of the air-launched Pegasus. The rocket has six successful flights in seven attempts since 1994, according to Orbital.
The spacecraft will fly at the head of NASA's "A-train," a constellation of six Earth-observing satellites with afternoon passes over the equator.
Here's a bunch of material offering more background about the mission:
- Fact sheet
- Press kit
- Science guide
- Seminar: The role of the Earth in our carbon dioxide future
- Taurus fact sheet
IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the images. Above, on Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Taurus XL rocket is in place to launch NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO. Below, OCO, has been erected atop Orbital Sciences' Taurus XL rocket for a Feb. 24 launch attempt. Photo credits: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB
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