VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - At NASA Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, one half of the fairing for CALIPSO_CloudSat is ready to be lifted into the mobile service tower, or gantry. The fairing encloses and protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites and together will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and


VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - At NASA Space Launch Complex 2 on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, one half of the fairing for CALIPSO_CloudSat is ready to be lifted into the mobile service tower, or gantry. The fairing encloses and protects the spacecraft during launch and flight through the atmosphere. Once in space, it is jettisoned. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. CALIPSO and CloudSat are highly complementary satellites and together will provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will fly in formation with three other satellites in the A-train constellation to enhance understanding of our climate system. Launch of CALIPSO_CloudSat aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket is scheduled for 3 01 Sept. 29.


Size: 1968px × 3000px
Photo credit: © NASA/piemags / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ., calif., calipso, cloudsat, expendable_launch_vehicle, vafb