On Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California are bathed in light for the night.

On Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Orbital Sciences' Taurus XL rocket and NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, on top, are bathed in light for the night. The spacecraft has been undergoing final closeouts for launch. OCO is scheduled for launch on the Taurus rocket Feb. 24 from Vandenberg. The spacecraft will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze OCO data to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Photo credit: NASA/Richard Nielsen, VAFB