NASA To Launch Orbiting Carbon Observatory

NASA is looking forward to launching the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) aboard a Taurus XL rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on February 23, 2009. The OCO will be “NASA’s first spacecraft specifically dedicated to mapping carbon dioxide,” according to principal investigator David Crisp. “The objective of the OCO mission is to make measurements that are so precise that they can be used to look for surface ’sources’ and ’sinks’ of CO2.” OCO will not be NASA’s first craft capable of monitoring CO2, but it will provide the most detailed views and will focus on CO2 closer to the ground, where its affects are most felt.

Visit the OCO website for more information.