The Cloud Aerosol Transport System instrument, built at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, launched to the International Space Station on Jan. 10 aboard the SpaceX CRS-5 mission.
The Cloud Aerosol Transport System instrument, built at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, launched to the International Space Station on Jan. 10 aboard the SpaceX CRS-5 mission. This marked the fourth successful NASA Earth science launch out of five scheduled during a 12-month period. The fifth launch — the Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite — is scheduled for Jan. 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
CATS will use a laser instrument to measure clouds and tiny airborne particles called aerosols — both significant drivers of Earth’s climate.
Credit: NASA/SpaceX