Orbital OCO-2 - Manual

FACTS AT A GLANCE
OCO-2
Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2
Earth Science/
Remote Sensing
LEO
Mission Description
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) is a "carbon copy" of the OCO spacecraft lost due
to a launch vehicle anomaly. OCO-2 is designed to make the first space-based measurements of
atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO
2
), an important greenhouse gas. Fossil fuel use and other human
activities have almost doubled the concentrations of this gas since the beginning of the industrial
revolution. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is an efficient greenhouse gas because it absorbs and traps
infrared radiation (heat) emitted by the Earth’s surface, preventing it from escaping to space. OCO-2
measurements will help scientists to better understand how increasing CO
2
concentrations will drive
climate change around the globe.
Although the biosphere and oceans currently absorb about half of the CO
2
generated by human
activities, the nature and geographic distribution of the sources and “sinks” of carbon dioxide are not
clearly understood. By providing the first global CO
2
measurements from space, the two-year OCO-2
mission will revolutionize our understanding of the global carbon cycle. Orbital built the spacecraft under
a contract from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Simulated OCO science data product
showing Column CO
2
(4° x 5° grid)
Each carbon dioxide molecule includes
one carbon atom (C) sandwiched
between two oxygen (O) atoms, forming
a linear molecule, with the structure
O=C=O
All animals release CO
2
into the
atmosphere as a by-product of
metabolism. Plants absorb CO
2
from
the air and use it, sunlight, water and
oxygen to produce their own energy
(photosynthesis). Nearly everything we
eat comes directly or indirectly from this
"carbon cycle."
Mission:
NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder
(ESSP) program
Customer:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory