At Vandenberg Air Force Base a technician wraps the Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer container in a protective insulation blanket.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a technician wraps the Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or P-POD, container in a protective insulation blanket. The P-POD will hold three CubeSats or tiny satellites, designed and created by university and college students that will be carried on the Taurus rocket along with the Glory spacecraft.

The Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket will carry NASA's Glory spacecraft into low Earth orbit. Once Glory reaches orbit, it will collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Launch is scheduled for 5:09 a.m. EST Feb. 23. For information, visit www.nasa.gov/glory. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB