What does the OCO-2 satellite do?
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2, or OCO-2, is an Earth satellite mission designed to study the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide globally and provide scientists with a better idea of how carbon is contributing to climate change.
How long has OCO-2 orbited?
2 years
Figure 7: Illustration of OCO-2 elements (image credit: NASA)
| Spacecraft bus | LeoStar-2 bus of OSC (LeoStar-2 is of OCO-1, SORCE and GALEX mission heritage) |
|---|---|
| Propulsion | Hydrazine |
| Mission design life | 2 years |
| Orbit | Altitude of 705 km, flying in polar, sun-synchronous formation with the EOS A-train |
How does the OCO-2 work?
The objective of the OCO-2 spectrometers is to measure sunlight reflected off the Earth’s surface. The rays of sunlight that enter the spectrometers will pass through the atmosphere twice, once as they travel from the Sun to the Earth, and then again as they travel from the Earth’s surface to the OCO-2 instrument.
What is OCO-2 How does it take measurements?
The OCO-2 spectrometers measures sunlight reflected off the Earth’s surface. The sunlight rays entering the spectrometers pass through the atmosphere twice – once as they travel from the Sun to the Earth, and then again as they bounce off from the Earth’s surface to the OCO-2 instrument.
What NASA missions are studying CO2?
NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3), the agency’s newest carbon dioxide-measuring mission to launch into space, has seen the light. From its perch on the International Space Station, OCO-3 captured its first glimpses of sunlight reflected by Earth’s surface on June 25, 2019.
How does the oco2 satellite measure CO2?
Specifically, the spectrometers will make simultaneous measurements of the CO2 and O2 absorption of sunlight that has been reflected off the same location on Earth’s surface. The amount of absorption observed in these spectra increases with the abundance of molecules along the optical path followed by the sunlight.
What is the flagship satellite of NASA’s Earth science missions?
ISS. The International Space Station (ISS) is a space station, or a habitable artificial satellite, in low Earth orbit. Its first component was launched into orbit in 1998, with the first long-term residents arriving in November 2000.
How many satellites are NASA using to study the Earth?
Nearly a half-century later, studying Earth from space is a critical part of NASA’s mission. There are currently sixteen Earth-observing satellites operating in orbit around our planet.
What is the grace Satellite doing?
GRACE, twin satellites launched in March 2002, are making detailed measurements of Earth’s gravity field which will lead to discoveries about gravity and Earth’s natural systems. These discoveries could have far-reaching benefits to society and the world’s population.
How many satellites launch SpaceX?
“What a beautiful view of Falcon 9 as it successfully lifts off from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying our stack of 51 Starlink satellites to orbit,” SpaceX’s Youmei Zhou said during the launch broadcast.
What was the purpose of the OCO 2 satellite?
The OCO-2 satellite was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, based around the LEOStar-2 bus. The spacecraft is being used to study carbon dioxide concentrations and distributions in the atmosphere.
Where was the OCO-2 space station launched from?
United Launch Alliance launched OCO-2 using a Delta II rocket at the beginning of a 30-second launch window at 09:56 UTC (2:56 PDT) on 2 July 2014. Flying in the 7320-10C configuration, the rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
When did the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 launch?
Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) is an American environmental science satellite which launched on 2 July 2014. A NASA mission, it is a replacement for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory which was lost in a launch failure in 2009.
What kind of spacecraft is OCO-2 LEOStar-2?
OCO-2 will be a dedicated spacecraft to fly a single instrument comprised of three high resolution grating spectrometers. 7) 8) The spacecraft is three-axis zero-momentum stabilized, using the LeoStar-2 bus of OSC [LeoStar-2 is of OCO, SORCE (Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment) and GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer) heritage].