US launches satellite to measure emissions

Yesterday morning, the US aerospace agency (NASA) put a satellite named OCO capable of assessing the density of CO ₂ emissions in the earth's atmosphere into space.

The OCO will fly at an altitude of 705 km and conduct 30,000 analyzes on each round around the globe.Photos: Wikipedia.

The $ 270 million Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) satellite was launched into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. It will help scientists identify both natural and artificial CO ₂ release locations to map this density of emissions on the planet and study their volatility over time.

The OCO will fly in orbit 705 km above the ground and take 16 days to "sweep" all areas of the globe. On each OCO round will conduct 30,000 different analyzes. Meanwhile NASA stressed that the OCO's mission is experimental.

Satellite equipped with a spectrophotometer to analyze light reflected from the surface of the earth. By separating white light into colors, OCO can 'see' the spectrum absorbed by CO ₂ molecules. By determining the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, satellites can provide accurate data on CO ₂ density in each region.

Satellite data will be combined with ground-based observation stations and a number of other satellites so that NASA scientists can provide a more complete picture of the cycles of CO2 and shoulders. Its role in the earth's atmosphere. Policy makers can use data to make accurate decisions in an effort to improve the quality of the atmosphere.