A NASA satellite designed to monitor carbon dioxide levels on earth
crashed into the ocean near Antarctica on Tuesday shortly after
launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Califronia.
Reports indicate the launch failure was the result of a nose-mounted
shroud that did not break away from the rocket, as designed, when
leaving earth’s atmosphere.
The satellite was intended to study the earth’s carbon dioxide
cycle in an effort to learn more about global climate change. It was in
development for eight years, and the loss is quite a blow to the
advancement of this important data collection.
Currently, scientists depend primarily on 282 land-based
stations–and scattered flights of instrumented aircraft–to monitor
carbon dioxide at low altitudes.
However, in January, Japan launched a satellite with a similar mission to monitor greenhouse gases.
Read Associate Press coverage of the crash at the link below.
Loading...