A flatbed truck arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, carrying the payload fairing for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket that will launch NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). 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. ICESat-2 is scheduled to launch on the final ULA Delta II rocket later this year.
Information
Taken in
Vandenberg
Author
NASA/Randy Beaudoin
Description
A flatbed truck arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, carrying the payload fairing for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket that will launch NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). 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. ICESat-2 is scheduled to launch on the final ULA Delta II rocket later this year.