
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - On Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a crane is attached to the dual spacecraft CALIPSO and CloudSat, covered by a transport canister. The spacecraft will be lifted and mated with a Boeing Delta II rocket for launch on April 21. CALIPSO stands for Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation. It will fly in combination with the CloudSat satellite to provide never-before-seen 3-D perspectives of how clouds and aerosols form, evolve, and affect weather and climate. CALIPSO and CloudSat will join three other satellites in orbit to enhance understanding of climate systems. Launch of CALIPSO/CloudSat is scheduled for April 21.
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NASA ID
KSC-06pd0675
Date Created
April 8, 2006
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Vandenberg AFB, CA
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