The Orbiting Carbon Observatory is a NASA satellite that will measure column concentrations of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide measurements will be used to quantify global sources and sinks. It is planned for launch in December 2008 aboard a Taurus XL rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

This mission will make the first space-based measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide with the accuracy and resolution needed to characterize its sources and sinks. Such information will improve forecasts of future concentrations of this important greenhouse gas and its impact on climate.

Fossil fuel use and other human activities have almost doubled the concentrations of this gas since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Atmosphere carbon dioxide is an efficient greenhouse gas because it absorbs and traps infrared radiation (heat) emitted by the Earth's surface, preventing it from escaping to space. OCO measurements will help scientists to better understand how increasing CO2 concentrations will drive climate change around the globe.

Mission

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory science objective is to provide global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) needed to describe the geographic distribution and variability of carbon dioxide sources and sinks. CO2 measurements are essential to resolving significant discrepancies in our understanding of the global carbon budget and, hence, humankind's role in global climate change. The Observatory will fly in a near polar orbit that enables the instrument to observe most of the Earth's surface at least once every sixteen days.

Although the biosphere and oceans currently absorb about half of the CO2 generated by human activities, the nature and geographic distribution of the sources and "sinks" of carbon dioxide are not clearly understood. By providing the first global CO2 measurements from space, the two-year OCO mission promises to revolutionize our understanding of the global carbon cycle.

Using a space-based platform, OCO will collect a far greater number of high resolution measurements which in turn will provide the distribution of CO2 over the entire globe. These measurements will be combined with data from the ground-based network to provide scientists with the information that they will need to better understand the processes that regulate atmospheric CO2 and its role in the carbon cycle. This enhanced understanding is essential to improve predictions of future atmospheric CO2 increases and their impact on the climate. This information could help policy makers and business leaders make better decisions to ensure climate stability and, at the same time, retain our quality of life.

Instruments

OCO is a dedicated spacecraft that carries a single instrument comprised of three high resolution grating spectrometers. The instrument, developed by Hamilton Sundstrand Sensor Systems, will acquire the most precise measurements of atmospheric CO2 ever made from space.

The spacecraft, developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation, is based upon the LeoStar-2 architecture. The same LeoStar-2 design was used on the successful Earth orbiting SORCE and GALEX missions.

Orbiting Carbon Observatory is a NASA sponsored satellite mission, selected in July 2002 within the ESSP (Earth System Science Pathfinder) program.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory, a mission that partners with industry and academia, will generate knowledge needed to improve projections of future carbon dioxide levels within Earth's atmosphere. Increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations have raised concerns about global warming. Even though the biosphere and oceans are currently absorbing about half of the CO2 generated by human activities, the nature and geographic distribution of these CO2 sinks are too poorly understood to predict their response to future climate and land-use changes.

Orbital is building the spacecraft as well as providing mission operations for the OCO mission under contract from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. David Crisp of JPL will be the principal investigator for the mission, which includes more than 19 university, corporate and international partners (investigators from the USA, France, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia)..

Facts and Figures

Mission: NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program
Performance: Orbit - 705 km/98.2° Inclination
Power - 324 Watts
Mass - 407 kg
Mission life - 24 months
Orbit Height: 705 km
Orbit Type: Sun-synchronous
Repeat Cycle: 16 days
Resolution: 1.29 km (cross-track) x 2.25 km (along-track)
Power: 324 Watts
Mass: 407 kg (897 lbs)
Mission life: 24 months

Did you know?

 * NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program funds competitively selected, low to moderate cost Earth Science missions. These highly focused missions acquire exploratory measurements of the atmosphere, the oceans, the land surface and the solid Earth. These missions share a common goal of improving the capability of Earth scientists to predict changes in weather, climate and natural hazards.

 * Each carbon dioxide molecule includes one carbon atom (C) sandwiched between two oxygen (O) atoms, forming a linear molecule, with the structure O=C=O

 * All animals release CO2 into the atmosphere as a by-product of metabolism. Plants absorb CO2 from the air and use it, sunlight, water and oxygen to produce their own energy (photosynthesis). Nearly everything we eat comes directly or indirectly from this "carbon cycle."

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 Orbiting Carbon Observatory Links:

• OCO Orbiting Carbon Observatory: JPL Nasa.
• Orbiting Carbon Observatory: by Orbital.com. Offers an overview of the spacecraft and mission timeline. Picture Source
• Earth System Science Pathfinder: NASA
• Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems: