NASA Launches Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 Satellite To Monitor Greenhouse Gases (VIDEO)
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — A rocket carrying a NASA satellite lit up the pre-dawn skies Wednesday on a mission to track atmospheric carbon dioxide, the chief culprit behind global warming.
The Delta 2 rocket blasted off from California at 2:56 a.m. and released the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite in low-Earth orbit 56 minutes later, bringing relief to mission officials who lost a similar spacecraft five years ago.
The flight was "a perfect ride into space," said Ralph Basilio, the OCO-2 project manager, at a post-launch press conference.
Power-supplying solar arrays deployed, initial checks showed the spacecraft was healthy and two-way communications were established, he said.
The launch was delayed a day because of a failure in ground equipment 46 seconds before liftoff Tuesday morning.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/02/carbon-observatory-2-satellite_n_5550826.html
OrbitingOrbiting Carbon Observatory 2: NASA's New Carbon Sleuth
