The Orbiting Carbon Observatorysuccessfully launched too soon on July 2ndafter acliffhanger - scrubthe night before . Here ’s 35 snippets of behind - the - scenes detail about the newest dry land - observing satellite tasked with monitor our home .
1 . The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 ( OCO-2 ) impart a pricetag of less than $ 280 million dollars . Distributed amongst a universe of over 310 million people , that means this labor cost Americans less than 80 centime apiece . Thank you , taxpayer ; that is an astonishingly economical investing to get the first - ever data point on world-wide carbon dioxide spacial and temporal variance . discipline : The original observatory , OCO , carried the $ 280 million pricetag . Due to splashiness and increase launch price , this ballistic capsule carried a pricetag close to $ 470 million or $ 1.47 sprad over 4.5 age .
2 . Two seems to be the Orbiting Carbon Observatory ’s lucky number . It took the 2d launching attempt of the second planet to get the instruments into field .
3 . On the topic of 2s , the OCO-2 mission is current funded for two eld , but the planet carries enough fuel for regular orbital corrections for a full twelve twelvemonth , and still have enough left over tonudge it out of Low Earth Orbit once it ’s obsolete . The satellite is pocket-sized , so instead of getting demote up into thegraveyard orbit , it ’ll be bumped downhearted enough that its orbit degrades and it comes roar into the atmosphere . It will burn up completely on re - entry with no bothersome space - junk to come crashing back to Earth , avoiding a fuel - intensive controlled re - introduction to ensureleftover scrap did n’t peck into a town .
4 . This year , NASA will be launching five Earth - observing satellites . Collectively group as “ Earth correctly Now ” ( or#EarthRightNow ) , the five orbiter are : Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory , Soil Moisture Active Passive , Orbital Carbon Observatory 2,ISS - RapidScat , andCloud - Aerosol Transport System .
5 . Laura Faye Tenenbaum created anedible testimonial to the satellite .
6 . Multiple members of theOCO-2 mission teamhave been working together since the outset of the original OCO deputation over 14 year ago .
7 . One of the ironware changes between OCO and OCO-2 is that the original charge used the same reaction wheel that halt theKepler Space Telescope , and the switch does n’t . WhileKepler has pull off a fancy fleck of trickery to keep working , OCO-2 avoid swear on the troublesome part to maintain its orientation .
8 . Karen Yuen , the Science Data Applications and Communications Manager for OCO-2 , was one of the first to remark the nonstarter of the fairing organisation to discharge during the original OCO launching . She was the voice behind theOCO-2 Twitter feedduring the launching , produce a gleeful solemnisation when the payload successfully separated :
We have phase I - II separation . hold my breath for the next measure … #OCO2#nasasocial#EarthRightNow
— NASA OCO-2 ( @IamOCO2)July 2 , 2014
YES ! We have Fairing Separation and I am gratuitous ! blank here I come!#OCO2#nasasocial#EarthRightNow
I ’ve phoned menage . Ground controllers take heed me loud and clear!#OCO2#nasasocial#EarthRightNow
9 . to avoid endangering the public , blank space launches need to pose no greater risk to the universe than normal commercial flights . This think of that launches take fly over open pee . To place satellites into equatorial orbits , launches want to climb to the east or Cicily Isabel Fairfield . That ’s why Cape Canaveral is such a popular launching localization despite the threat of thunderstorms requiring engineers to swaddle their structures in lightning rods . To place satellite in opposite orbits , launches call for to climb to the north or S . The funny little bump on the coast of California houses Vandenberg Airforce Base along a rare stretch of the sea-coast where the sea is to the south , not due west .
10 . In a moment of orbital dynamic induced sarcasm , ballistic capsule tend to be launched in the midriff of the night , while interior security and spy satellites usually launch mid - first light .
11 . The Delta II rocket carrying OCO-2 reached hypersonic speeds , over Mach 10 , at an altitude of just over 35 nautical miles .
12 . The NASA Launch Services Program launching team was separate between Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral . The NASA Launch Manager and OCO-2 Mission Manager were both in Vandenberg .
13 . The Launch Director is responsible for actually crusade the button trigger off ignition , and yes , it is literally a button ! ( And in response to a interrogation during the NASA Social press briefing , no , we ca n’t push it . unkind person ! )
14 . The launching was devote in store of Laurie Walls , a Thermal Engineer with NASA ’s Launch Services Program . Walls passed away on June 4th , and a memorial brass dedicated to her was affixed to the umbilical tower on Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California . Thefollowing dedicationwas register out during the OCO-2 countdown commentary :
The OCO-2 mission has particular meaning to NASA ’s Launch Services Program as we have give it to one of our LSP Teammates , Laurie Walls . Laurie began her career over 30 age ago as a thermal engineer for McDonnell Douglas in Huntsville , Alabama , supporting NASA ’s Marshall Space Flight Center . She proceed to Florida in 1985 . Shortly after coming to Florida , Laurie became a polite retainer working on the Shuttle computer programme tax return to flight of steps sweat post - Challenger . In 1998 , Laurie joined the new formed Launch Services Program as one of the found members of the escape analysis mathematical group . She serve in LSP as the thermal discipline expert until her untimely death in the first place this month . Laurie worked caloric issues for numerous NASA Delta II and Atlas V missions . to boot , she provided key thermal support for both Delta II Heavy maturation and Atlas V Certification . Laurie was an integral member of LSP ’s family and she was truly consecrated to NASA and the LSP team . She will be greatly miss . We honor Laurie with a especial memorial placed on the SLC-2 umbilical tower , and we give thanks ULA for helping to make this happen .
15 . The spacecraft is deliberately aim to get sunshine on the still - folded solar array during the slide leading up to the final second stage burn . This allow some recharging of the battery prior to concluding separation . At the ending of the burn the spacecraft is in its last electron orbit , reorient to point directly into the sun , and jettisons the last point of the Delta II arugula . By pointing into the sun prior to separation , not only do we get an artistically backlit aspect of separation , but it means that after minimum adjust to dampen out any breakup - make acrobatics , the craft is oriented to begin recharging in earnest just as soon as the solar array unfolds .
16 . TheHartebeesthoek feeler in South Africacollected the video during separation .
17 . Although everyone I expect cited unfolding the solar control board to protrude charging the battery as the key detail when they ’d start relaxing and truly consider the launching was a success , it will take about 3 or 4 Day until the entire system comes online .
18 . The solar arrays used on OCO-2 are the lightweight but slight and expensive fabrication option to power the orbiter . But , since every bit of weighting matters by increasing fuel essential , it ’s the economical choice when the launching and orbital costs are factored in .
19 . This foreign mission marked the 42nd ULA launching and 117th NASA launch out of Vandenberg . It ’s also the 51st NASA commission to use aDelta II , earning the rocket the soubriquet of “ industry work horse . ”
20 . It used to be that orbiter could get forthwith launch into the A - caravan constellation , but now with five satellites in relatively penny-pinching law of proximity , it ’s too risky . Instead , new planet begin out in a synchronous but lower reach ( 15 klick lower for OCO-2 ) and undergo a examination process where they demonstrate that they are nimble and obedient before they ’re let to merge into the train .
21 . Once the satellite is fully operation , slotted into position , and terminate with the verification and standardisation stage , all the datum will be hosted online in the Hierarchical Data Format ( HDF5 ) . The data ’s meta - information is directly embedded in the information to increase its accessibility to researchers .
22 . The mission scientists and engineers openly recognize that this planet wo n’t render any data point that will win over climate - change denier to suddenly heed to scientific consensus . Instead , it will track emissions to help scientists ascertain the detail of what ’s run low on , helping aim the research topics of succeeding graduate students to authoritative carbon sequestration processes that we bed little about .
make measurements , getting the facts . For the first fourth dimension , finally see carbon sources and cesspool . Globally . Science not government . For all .
— NASA OCO-2 ( @IamOCO2)June 28 , 2014
23 . Space Launch Complex is normally abbreviated to SLC . This is pronounced “ Slick . ” OCO-2 launch off of SLC 2 , the launch pad leased by United Launch Alliance ( ULA ) .
24 . A NASA Social was hosted in conjunction with the launch . After an open software , approximately fifty peoplewere selected to attend the event . The attendees included a PhD nominee in empty talk and cyberspace studies , a pair of skill teachers and a university professor , an MTV reality game show contestant , part of a team vie for theGoogle Lunar XPRIZE , several voices behind embodied social medium report ( let in Nintendo and WestJet ) , lensman , a intriguer of radar jammer , a USGS volcanologist , an ethnographic film producer , a yoga teacher , science fabrication and children ’s book source , and many others . Alas , the professional skateboarder was plagued by car - fuss and did n’t make it to the launching .
25 . As your devoted io9 congresswoman , between tour , the launching window , file launching report , and sheer giddy excitement , I caught 7 hour of sleep between 6 am on June 30th and 6:09 am on July 2nd . Any appearance of coherence in the launching report is purely coincidental , a random good fortune produce by slumber - deprive keyboard mashing .
26 . During the NASA Social pre - launch tour of Vandenberg , Dr. Kayla Iacovino palaver NASA Administrator Charles Bolden into declaring his love forStar Trek .
Who ’s the cock-a-hoop Trekkie,@BarackObamaor Charlie Bolden?#startrek#NASASocialpic.twitter.com / Li0CHNA7zk
— @email protectedJune 30 , 2014
27 . One outstanding question is if this planet will be raw enough to clean up the atomic number 6 output of an erupting volcano . The high - resoluteness mass spectrometer are sore to change of a individual part per million in 400 parts per million ( 0.3 % ) , but volcanoes spew out ash and water vapour along with carbon dioxide . This noise may mask the signal of all but the largest eructation . Any detection of eruption will be opportunistic , the chance alignment of just the correct style of eruption at just the right position at just the right time .
28.Solar - induced fluorescenceis a permissive waste Cartesian product of photosynthesis and used as a proxy to remotely detect photosynthesis efficiency . This glow will be discover by OCO-2 instruments .
Ladies and man , we have peanuts.#NASASocial#OCO2pic.twitter.com / fDVoikZO0w
— NASA OCO-2 ( @IamOCO2)July 1 , 2014
29 . Jet Propulsion Laboratories has a tradition ofmunching Arachis hypogaea during launchdating back to their introduction after a serial of doomed Ranger missions . The tradition is alive and well at NASA societal event , with two jars of peanut getting elapse around during the initial launch attack , increase to four jar on the second attack . “ More peanuts ! ” became the ecumenical solvent to any problem encountered at the take in site .
30 . In an campaign to supercharge the peanut - power , on the second launch endeavour , NASA Social player Holly Hamann wreak a smorgasbord of thematically - appropriate confect . For a minute of total extra luck , a barrista at Lompoc ’s South Side Coffee Company donate two packs of burnt umber cover espresso bean plant to keep everyone alert , alive , alert , and enthusiastic .
31 . The satellite is in a sun - synchronous orbit , which means that one side of the planet will be in perpetual darkness . The anti - sun side is at the stand of one of the solar panels .
32 . The eye are passively cool off . inactive cool down functions by connect radiators to a variable conductance oestrus pipework . The temperature differential is really enough to send packing the temperature to -20 ° ampere-second , so to avoid over - chilling the optics , the heat organ pipe automatically opens and closes to keep the temperature bulk large around -5 ° C . The switching happens on the order of every ten to fifteen instant .
33 . While the optics are at a relatively affectionate -5 ° C , the detectors will be automatically cool off with a cryogenic system to an staggering -150 ° ampere-second . One midget cable experience a striking temperature gradient from one end to the other to preserve the data .
34 . The star - finding telescope used to eastern hemisphere and aim the orbiter is also a water trap . Any moisture enchant within the satellite will drain out of the telescope , avoiding a construct - up of home icing .
35 . While arriving at the public viewing area imply walking into the light source like ill - plump characters in a pic book , the entire area is plunged into darkness when the Light are cut as presently as the final built - in appreciation expires at T-4 minutes and the terminal launch forwardness checklists begin .
trope credits : Bottom fogged - photo byScott Butner . confect photo byHolly Hamann . Star Trek selfie byDr . Kayla Iacovino . All other photo credit rating NASA
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