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 Misión OCO-2 de NASA infographic
Graphic shows features of OCO-2 mission and spacecraft.
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Misión OCO-2 de NASA

July 1, 2014 - NASA is scheduled to launch its first spacecraft dedicated to measuring carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission will provide a more complete, global picture of the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as “sinks” – such as forests and oceans – which absorb and trap the gas

OCO-2 will be NASA's second attempt to launch a satellite specifically for the purpose of monitoring carbon dioxide. The first OCO launch in 2009 failed to reach orbit.

At approximately 400 parts per million, atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at its highest level in at least 800,000 years, according to NASA. The burning of fossil fuels and other human activities are currently adding almost 40 billion tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere each year, producing an unprecedented build-up of this greenhouse gas.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 03/07/2014; STORY: Graphic News
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