Delta II ICESat-2 Second Stage Lift and Mate
The United Launch Alliance Delta II booster, or first stage, with the interstage attached on top is moved out of the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Space Launch Complex 2 on June 21, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The second stage will be lifted up at the VIF. NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) will launch on the final Delta II rocket. ICESat-2 will measure the height of a changing Earth, one laser pulse at a time, 10,000 laser pulses a second. The satellite will carry a single instrument, the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System. ICESat-2 will help scientists investigate why, and how much our planet's frozen and icy areas, called the cryosphere, is changing in a warming climate.
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Details
NASA ID
VAFB-20180621-PH_RKB01_0034
Date Created
June 21, 2018
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Photographer
NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Location
Space Launch Complex 2 (SLC-2)
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