Image credit: NASA
Today, (February 8, 2015) the United States Air Force will launch a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite called Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. EST. You can watch live coverage, starting at 3:30 p.m EST here.
DSCOVR’s primary mission is to monitor space weather – effects from the material and energy from the sun that can impact our satellites and technological infrastructure on Earth.
DSCOVR’s destination is a fascinating spot – called Lagrange 1- some 932,000 miles away from Earth where the gravity between the sun and Earth is perfectly balanced. This spot captured the attention of scientists because a satellite can orbit this spot just as they can orbit a planet. Lagrange 1 lies outside Earth’s magnetic environment, making it a perfect place to measure the constant stream of particles from the sun, known as the solar wind, as they pass by.
From its orbit around Lagrange 1, the DSCOVR spacecraft will provide critical data necessary for NOAA space weather forecasters to issue timely and accurate warnings of solar storms that have the potential to disrupt major public infrastructure systems such as power grids, telecommunications, aviation and GPS.
In addition to the space weather instruments, DSCOVR will carry two NASA Earth-observing instruments that gather ozone, aerosol, cloud, and vegetation measurements (EPIC) and changes in the Earth’s radiation budget (NISTAR).
DSCOVR is a planned two-year mission, but its fuel could last five years, say scientists.
Read more about the mission from NASA.
Photo credit: NASA
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1DaiTUW
Image credit: NASA
Today, (February 8, 2015) the United States Air Force will launch a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite called Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. EST. You can watch live coverage, starting at 3:30 p.m EST here.
DSCOVR’s primary mission is to monitor space weather – effects from the material and energy from the sun that can impact our satellites and technological infrastructure on Earth.
DSCOVR’s destination is a fascinating spot – called Lagrange 1- some 932,000 miles away from Earth where the gravity between the sun and Earth is perfectly balanced. This spot captured the attention of scientists because a satellite can orbit this spot just as they can orbit a planet. Lagrange 1 lies outside Earth’s magnetic environment, making it a perfect place to measure the constant stream of particles from the sun, known as the solar wind, as they pass by.
From its orbit around Lagrange 1, the DSCOVR spacecraft will provide critical data necessary for NOAA space weather forecasters to issue timely and accurate warnings of solar storms that have the potential to disrupt major public infrastructure systems such as power grids, telecommunications, aviation and GPS.
In addition to the space weather instruments, DSCOVR will carry two NASA Earth-observing instruments that gather ozone, aerosol, cloud, and vegetation measurements (EPIC) and changes in the Earth’s radiation budget (NISTAR).
DSCOVR is a planned two-year mission, but its fuel could last five years, say scientists.
Read more about the mission from NASA.
Photo credit: NASA
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1DaiTUW
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