On Launch Complex 576 E at Vandenberg Air Force Base two cranes are used to lift NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory.

On Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, two cranes are used to lift NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, spacecraft. It will be raised to vertical and attached to the waiting Stage 0 motor of the Taurus XL launch vehicle in the tower. The OCO is attached to the upper stack, consisting of Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the Taurus. The spacecraft is scheduled for launch aboard Orbital Sciences' Taurus XL 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/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB