VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- United Space Alliance technicians hoist the second stage of a Delta II rocket into position in the Space Launch Complex-2 (SLC-2) service tower at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket is being prepared to launch NASA's Aquarius satellite into low Earth orbit.
Scheduled to launch in June, Aquarius' mission will be to provide monthly maps of global changes in sea surface salinity. By measuring ocean salinity from space, Aquarius will provide new insights into how the massive natural exchange of freshwater between the ocean, atmosphere and sea ice influences ocean circulation, weather and climate. Also going up with the satellite are optical and thermal cameras, a microwave radiometer and the SAC-D spacecraft, which were developed with the help of institutions in Italy, France, Canada and Argentina. Photo credit: VAFB/30th Space Wing
Details