Scaffolding is built around Stage 0 of the Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory stacked on the launch mount.

On Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, scaffolding is built around Stage 0 of the Taurus XL launch vehicle for NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, stacked on the launch mount. An umbilical tower is being erected on the pad using the portable crane. Stage 0 utilizes a Castor 120 Motor. The OCO is an Earth-orbiting mission sponsored by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder Program. The observatory will collect precise global measurements of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists will analyze the data returned to better understand the natural processes and human activities that regulate the abundance and distribution of this important greenhouse gas. Launch is targeted for Feb. 24 from Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg. Photo credit: VAFB/Wayne North