NASA To Launch Satellite Dedicated To Mapping CO2

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Cape Canaveral, FL (AHN) - NASA will launch a satellite to track where carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed around the world.

Dubbed the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), the spacecraft will orbit the earth on its mission to map carbon dioxide concentrations close to the earth’s surface. The OCO is sponsored by NASA’s Earth System Science Pathfinder Project (ESSP) Program, according to the NASA website.

The spacecraft will collect measurements of the atmosphere, the oceans, the land surface and the solid Earth with a goal of giving scientists more data to help them to predict changes in weather, climate and natural hazards.

Scientists think that CO2 from humans is driving climate change, but they aren’t sure how it moves through the atmosphere. The expectation is that the data the OCO will collect will help scientists to better understand that process.

OCO’s launch is scheduled for Feb. 23 on a Taurus XL rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

By Linda Young - AHN Editor