Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), NASA, USA


Liftoff of OCO-2

Published on Jul 2, 2014

The Delta II rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO-2, satellite on a on a mission to study the Earth's atmosphere. Liftoff was at 2:56 a.m. PDT.
 

Delta II OCO-2 Launch Highlights

Published on Jul 2, 2014

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket carrying the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) payload for NASA lifts off from Space Launch Complex-2. This launch marks the 51st Delta II mission for NASA and Delta II's return to flight as the first of two planned Delta II launches this year. Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) will be NASA's first dedicated Earth remote sensing satellite to study atmospheric carbon dioxide from Space. OCO-2 will be collecting space-based global measurements of atmospheric CO2 with the precision, resolution, and coverage needed to characterize sources and sinks on regional scales.
 

NASA | The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2

Published on Jul 12, 2014

Fossil fuel combustion and other human activities are now emitting more than 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere each year. The ocean and plants on land emit more than 20 times as much CO2 into the atmosphere as humans do, but they reabsorb almost as much, along with about half of human-produced emissions. Ground-based measurements accurately record the global impact of these processes on Earth's atmospheric CO2 budget and its trends. However, their resolution and coverage is not adequate to identify the "sources" emitting CO2 or the natural "sinks" absorbing this gas. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory -- 2 (OCO-2) is NASA's first satellite designed to measure atmospheric CO2 with the accuracy needed to identify these sources and sinks. After its launch in July 2014, its spectrometers will record more than 100,000 CO2 measurements each day.

Speaker:
Dr. David Crisp, Science Team Leader, OCO-2

Release Date: 13 March 2014

Credit: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
 
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