NASA ORBITAL EYE TO READ CO2

The debate over the planet's climate is about to get some clarity early next year when NASA launches the Orbital Carbon Observatory.
The observatory in space will be able to closely monitor just how much carbon dioxide is in the air and how it is being recycled by Earth.
NASA is paying US$270 million for the observatory, its launch on an Orbital Sciences' Taurus booster and two years of operation. Launch date is set for 30 January from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Measuring carbon dioxide is not an easy task. Three three high- resolution spectrometers will be used to study sunlight reflected off Earth at the precise wavelengths that reveal the presence of carbon dioxide and molecular oxygen.
The observatory is sensitive enough to identify columns of carbon within an area as small as about three square kilometers. The goal is to identify, on regional scales, where the atmospheric CO2 is going,
Many scientists consider CO2 to be the telltale gas of global warming. Human activities, like driving cars, burning coal, farming, industrial production and other practices, account for 3 percent (8 billion metric tons) of CO2 per year, which is enough to tilt the balance of climate change.
The State of the Planet on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN00Tijj_-0
Latest news and planet opinion www.dailyplanetmedia.com
Earth Charter for a better world www.earthcharterfoundation.com