As part of a program monitoring environmental changes on Earth, NASA will be launching one of the most powerful Earth-observing satellite every built into space this afternoon, Discovery News reports.
At 1 p.m. at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, an Atlas 5 rocket will take off with the LDCM space satellite aboard. The launch is a continuation of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission that began in 1972. The satellite will observe changes in agricultural development, urban sprawl, and deforestation.
"LDCM will be the best Landsat spacecraft yet, in terms of improved capabilities and the amount of data returned," mission program executive David Jarrett, of NASA headquarters said.
This latest launch will add the eighth satellite to the Landsat fleet. The $855 million spacecraft will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 438 miiles using the most sophisticated observation instruments ever designed. Its Operational Land Imager will gather information in visibile, near infrared and shortwave infrared wavelengths. The craft is also equipted with a Thermal Infrared Sensor that will measure surface temperatures.
It's hoped the data collected by the satellite will help scientists and policymakers come to a more complete understanding of humanity's impact on the Earth.
"All of these changes are currently occurring at rates unprecedented in human history, due to an increasing population, advancing technology and climate change," said mission project scientist Jim Irons, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said. "We will be able to monitor these changes - to continue to observe these changes - from LDCM, from the best Landsat satellite ever launched."
The launch can be seen live on Space.com.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
