Utah Skies » Missions http://www.utahskies.org Bringing the Joys of Astronomy to the Public Through Awareness, Advocacy, and Education Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:31:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 en hourly 1 Earthrise Revisited http://www.utahskies.org/2008/12/23/earthrise-revisited/ http://www.utahskies.org/2008/12/23/earthrise-revisited/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:00:58 +0000 anthonya http://www.utahskies.org/?p=1510 40 years ago this week, astronauts aboard Apollo 8 travelled where no one had gone before, the Moon. As they circled around the back side of the moon, they saw the very first ‘Earthrise’; planet Earth rising above the horizon of another celestial body. At that moment, they were able to see Earth as it truely was, a tiny, fragile planet orbiting in the vastness of space. The accompanying image is one of the most spectacular ever taken. The Apollo 8 mission in December of 1968 marked mankinds first ever journey to another celestial body.

]]> http://www.utahskies.org/2008/12/23/earthrise-revisited/feed/ NASA To Launch Orbiting Carbon Observatory http://www.utahskies.org/2008/12/19/nasa-to-launch-orbiting-carbon-observatory/ http://www.utahskies.org/2008/12/19/nasa-to-launch-orbiting-carbon-observatory/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:00:44 +0000 anthonya http://www.utahskies.org/?p=1450 NASA Orbiting Carbon ObservatoryNASA 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.

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