File:The A-Train.jpg: Difference between revisions

OCO-2 "game changing" earth science

The A-Train convoy of orbiting earth observing satellites ...

http://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/OCO-2

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/a-train/a-train.html

NASA and its international partners operate several Earth-observing satellites that closely follow one after another along the same orbital “track.” This coordinated group of satellites, constituting a significant subset of NASA’s current operating major satellite missions, is called the Afternoon Constellation, or the A-Train, for short. The satellites are in a polar orbit, crossing the equator northbound at about 1:30 p.m. local time, within seconds to minutes of each other. This allows near-simultaneous observations of a wide variety of parameters to aid the scientific community in advancing our knowledge of Earth-system science and applying this knowledge for the benefit of society. Five satellites currently fly in the A-Train: GCOM-W1, Aqua, CALIPSO, CloudSat, and Aura. On November 16, 2011, PARASOL was lowered to 9.5 km under the A-Train and on December 18, 2013 PARASOL ceased operation, fully exiting the A-Train.

OCO-2 joined the configuration in July 2014.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbiting_Carbon_Observatory_2